Blindfolded: A Companion To Running In The Dark
by MisoSoop
Summary: Jennifer is going to learn the hard way that everyone hides things. But she's going to need help to loosen the knot on this blindfold and finally see things for what they are. NoMsueorPairingPossibleLang.[Complete]
1. Chapter 1

_-Sighs- Still love that divider. Anywho...yeah, this is it, the first chapter of the companion to Running In The Dark. GO READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T! Or I'll EXPLODE! Auuuugh! _

_Ahem...anyway, this is once again, a nice, realistic (kinda) story. But this time: Laced with lies, deciet, anger and a fuckin' theme song! _

_But I didn't make the song. Speeding Cars, by Imogene Heap. I dunno, I was listening to it and it made me think of the story. I was sitting there and I could imagine this whole video with Jennifer in it, sort of going through the events in the story and the other characters too, of course. It's a nice video. Sadly, I can't make it, so it'll never be seen. Haha! _

_Disclaimer: Uh..yeah, you should know this by now. I don't own anything but my original characters: Jennifer (Bartnett) Tate, Alice Tate, Lillian Tate, Paul Tate, Connie Arquines (You didn't think she had a last name, did you? Haha!) and...who ever else shows up. Foos. _

_However, I like cameos. If you feel the desire to have one of my characters suddenly be mentioned or make an appearance, ask me permissioooon and give me crediiiit. Thank you dears. _

_**Edit: I fixed the exchange on the phone. Hopefully it makes more sense now. ****

* * *

**_

_**Blindfolded**_

_One_

'_Jennifer...Jennifer...God, I hate my name. It doesn't fit me at all. Jennifer makes you think of a perfect girl who gets all the things she wants and is a kind, generous person. Yeah, that fits me real fuckin' well.' _

Looking out the window of the train, Jennifer Tate narrowed her eyes at the faint reflection she could see in the glass. She sighed and looked straight ahead again, before looking down at the red notebook in her lap.

'_My mother could have been a Jennifer...but I never met her. The mother I know, the one who took care of me even though I really wasn't her's, was Alice. That was all anyone could see her as. I want to be seen as anything but a Jennifer._

'_God, I hate her now. Who leaves their daughter before she's 18? Well...besides my dad. Hell, I'm not even 17 yet. But no, she had to dismiss going to the doctor. I bet she never saw it coming..._

'_She kept going on about all of this shit I didn't know about. People in Tulsa named Ponyboy and Christine's eyes and Dallas's ring... That's why I'm on a one way train to Tulsa, fuckin', Oklahoma. To find some guy named Ponyboy who, for all I know, may not exist! How comforting is that?' _

Jennifer stepped off of the train, backpack in place and armed with a name in a place she'd never been to. Deciding that she should walk around and ask some friendly looking people in bakeries first, Jennifer set off with a sense of determination...but she could feel that twinge of hopelessness that she hadn't felt in a long time. She had a zero point one chance of getting anywhere and she knew it.

But Jennifer liked to try and do the impossible. It was almost like a hobby to her.

xxxx

"Ugh, my feet are killing me," Jennifer muttered, sitting down on a curb and holding her backpack close. She guessed she had been walking for almost two hours. No Ponyboy. The batteries to her walkman were dying too.

Jennifer sat, wondering if maybe she should just go back to Chicago. Back to her "Uncle Paul". She sighed and picked up a rock and realized, as she chucked it into the street, she would have to call said uncle to see what he knew.

She dug around in her pockets and pulled out a handful of change. Jennifer guessed it would be enough. It should only be a few cents for a long distance call from a payphone. She'd use a cell phone, but she thought they were ugly, bulky and just very inconvenient. So, she didn't own one.

So, she put her mission to find Ponyboy on hold and began her mini-mission to find a payphone. She supposed if she ended up finding Ponyboy, she could find her father and let him know his wife was dead. Jennifer didn't know if he would be all that devastated. He was never around much before and he wasn't around much now.

It took awhile to find a phone that actually worked and didn't have a homeless person hanging around it. Jennifer pulled out a handkerchief, one she carried around for things like this, and used it to cover her hand as she picked up the receiver. She wished there was a way she could avoid having it touch her face and not have trouble hearing.

Sighing, she dropped the coins into the phone and muttered the number under her breath as she dialed.

"1-630-628..."

Jennifer bit at her fingernails as she listened to the phone ring. The time zones weren't that different, so she knew someone would be home. She was worried about what her Uncle would say. She didn't have much time for yelling.

"Hello, Lillian Tate speaking."

"Lil? Where's your Dad?"

"...Jen? Jesus, where the hell have you been? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just get me your dad. I'm on a payphone," Jennifer said, straining to keep her tone of voice controlled. Lillian sighed and Jennifer could hear a muffled 'it's for you', before the phone was passed.

"Hello?"

"Hey...it's Jennifer."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Road trip. Look, does 'Ponyboy' mean anything to you?"

"Ponyboy? Yeah, that was Sodapop's younger brother."

"Who?"

"You know, Soda. Your grandmother and I both told you about him. Connie too. Everyone loved Soda...I wonder how he's doing."

"Well, do you know where he lives?"

Jennifer bit her lip as her Uncle fell silent. He was probably debating on telling her. "Yeah. He should still live in the same place he was livin' in a few years ago. I'll give you his number."

'_I remembered the street the phone was on before walking around for a bit. I had to find a bit more change, but it wasn't hard. Of course, it took a bit of will just to pick it up from the ground. _

'_During that time I did a little thinking and searched through the expanse of this notebook that I've carried around for a few years now. I finally found some things mentioning Sodapop and it stirred my memory a bit. _

'_Sodapop Curtis was a friend of my mother and uncle. He met Paul when they were in Vietnam together and one day Soda had the urge to write to his friend's younger sister. Apparently, Mom and Soda both appreciated the extra comfort, because they continued sending letters back and forth. _

'_Connie always said she thought it was the most romantic thing she ever heard of. I find it corny, but, what ever. Times change. _

'_Anyway, Soda was shot and had to be sent back home before finishing his year of service. Mom went to visit him a few days after New Years. They hit off okay, since they became better friends than they had been before. The most I ever got was that Mom visited and helped Soda finish up highschool. They didn't talk about what happened after that. _

'_And I never asked.' _

Jennifer was chewing on her lower lip, counting the rings of the phone. _Four...ah crap!_

"Y'ellow."

"Uh...hi...is...is Sodapop there?"

"Who's this?"

"Uh, my name's Jennifer. My mom-"

"You aren't Sandy's kid are you?"

"Huh? No, I don't know anyone named Sandy. My mom's name was Alice."

"Alice?"

"Yeah, Alice Ta-"

"Look...is this some kind of joke? I know for a fact she never had a kid."

"No, why would I joke about something like this? I was just wondering if you could help me find-"

Jennifer paused and listened to the dial tone on the other end. "He hung up on me...that bastard! I thought he was supposed to be nice!" Jennifer yelled, slamming the phone down and storming away. She paused as she walked past an apartment building and looked at the doorstep. A phone book. Jennifer smirked.

"Whether Sodapop likes it or not, I'm gonna find Ponyboy."

* * *

_Oh, I forgot to mention, scandal! No, I'm kidding, there are no scandals. Just lies, deciet, anger...and a theme song. Review it, biznatches! Oh, another fun note. That phone number? It's mine. That's why I didn't give out the whole thing, because I don't want people calling me. I hate phonecalls. And I mom would kick my ass. _


	2. Chapter 2

Heehee, I updated! Finally. This one's a bit longer (I think) and it answers some stuff.

If you didn't know, my story, Running In The Dark was nominated (among other fellow writer's stories) for The Wrong Side of the Tracks Awards. But I'm up against Epiphany for best AU/Sci-fi. Hopefully, people will give me a chance, since that story is better known than mine.

**

* * *

**

**Blindfolded**

_Two_

Jennifer growled in frustration. There were a lot of Curtises and _none _of them were named Sodapop. So she looked for the phone number she had called out of those. It was listed as Darrel Curtis. Jennifer panicked, thinking she had dialed the wrong number.

"No...because he would have said I had the wrong number...he wouldn't have even bothered to find out who I was," Jennifer reassured herself, writing the address at the top of one of the pages in her notebook.

She'd have to remember not to snap at...well, who ever answered the door about the phone call. There was probably an explanation, right? I mean, she always got annoyed when people called her asking for someone who wasn't there. Like when people called for her father. Didn't they know he was never home? Or were they that dense to where they couldn't keep track of their friends?

'_I had to walk to...well, who-ever-I-called's, house. My feet felt like they were about to fall apart, I had been walking so much, and my shirt was sticking to my back because of the heat. The one thing that kept bothering me was that I'd be walking around in this disgusting heat for a lot longer than I wanted.' _

Jennifer sighed, trying to calm herself as she stood in front of the front door of a small house. She had double checked the address so many times she knew it by heart and finally decided to knock on the door.

She waited for less than a minute when the door opened. A surprisingly calm looking person opened the door and looked at her curiously. "Can I help you?"

"Uhm ... I... I called here a few minutes ago and...and I'm pretty sure I had the right number, because my uncle gave me the number and I mean, I would guess he would know the number since he knew the person I'm looking for and, well, who ever answered the phone got upset with me and hung up and-"

"Whoa... okay, slow down. That was you? Man, my brother was goin' on about some stupid kid who was hasslin' him... Look, I'm sorry about that, he was really upset. Lots of stress at work. Apparently, your uncle didn't tell you I moved."

"...Of course. Of course you moved. My uncle's just such a clod he didn't even think of that," Jennifer muttered, running her fingers through her hair. "Uh, so... you _are _Sodapop, right?"

"Sure am."

"And...you knew my uncle? Paul?"

"...Yeah, I did. You're really Alice's daughter?"

"Well, that's a long story, but I'm looking for your brother Ponyboy."

"Lucky for you, he's in town. Taking a break from writin'... and teachin'. Maybe you could explain everything to me then, huh?" Soda asked with a grin, stepping away from the door and waving Jennifer inside. She hesitantly stepped inside, enjoying the cool air that brushed along her face as she dropped her backpack on the floor and sighed.

"Sit down where ever you like, I'll go get Ponyboy for you," Sodapop said, still smiling though his eyes seemed a bit worried, as he walked away. Jennifer dropped down on a couch in the living room, looking around as she waited.

'_If I said I wasn't surprised by Soda's appearance, I'd be a dirty liar. He was very, very, very attractive. Too bad he was as old, a few years older even, than my mother was. There's a lot of old photographs in this room and I love photographs as much as the next person, more even, but none of them were really catching my eye. _

'_The only one's I was vaguely interested in were Soda and his brothers, which I assumed because they looked a like, when they were younger.' _

"You must be Jennifer."

Jennifer quickly snapped her notebook shut and looked up. "Are you Ponyboy?"

He nodded and Jennifer noticed that he looked a lot like Sodapop. More than normal brothers usually do anyway. If Ponyboy were the same age, they'd probably be very close to identical twins. But Jennifer had no idea what age he would be.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon. Your mother told me you might show up one day but-"

"You knew I was coming? When did she tell you? When she was sick?"

"Wait, slow down," Soda interjected. Both Jennifer and Ponyboy looked at him, waiting. "Explain this a bit, would you?"

"Alice was my adoptive mother. I'm Jennifer Bartnett, but I use my mother's maiden name most of the time. Except in school, because they won't let me change it..." Jennifer trailed off. "Why do you look so upset?"

"It's nothing," Soda said, shaking his head. Ponyboy looked a bit worried, but picked up the conversation.

"She called me a few months ago, after she mailed me a package. She wanted me to hold onto it until... until you came."

"...She knew I was coming?"

"If you didn't, I would have called your uncle and asked that he bring you down. Alice was rather fixed on you getting that box."

"Wait, is she better now?" Sodapop asked. Jennifer frowned.

"No one told you?"

"Told me what? Ponyboy, do you know-"

"Alice died, Soda. She passed away a few days ago..." Ponyboy said slowly. Carefully even. Soda paled and looked down at the floor, seeming to be a bit lost for words. Ponyboy moved forward, probably to offer comfort, but Soda shrugged him off and walked outside.

"I'm sorry," Jennifer muttered, not really sure what she was apologizing for.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. I should have told him earlier, but... well, I've just been a bit out of it since I found out. I'm sure he'll come around," Ponyboy said. "C'mon. I'll pull the box out and you can look through it in the extra room."

Jennifer stood up and followed him a bit silently, her notebook in the safety of the crook of her arm. Ponyboy gently pushed open a door near the end of the hallway and Jennifer peeked inside. She frowned. Her mother had stayed in this room, there really wasn't a doubt in her mind about that.

She stepped into the room, taking in her surroundings as Ponyboy opened the closet door and pulled a medium sized cardboard box out of it's depths.

"There ya go," He said, setting the box on the twin bed that was up against the wall. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Alright..." Jennifer said with a nod. "Thanks," she added.

"Sure thing," Ponyboy said with a smile, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

'_I didn't rip into the box right away. I just sat on the bed next to it and looked around again. I didn't like being in that room. I could feel my mother everywhere. It was just screaming, "Alice was here! Alice was here!". It even had the faint smell of her. She always smelled like some sort of flower, one I could never place. _

'_There were still pictures scattered on the wall, and one of the walls had been painted light green and another one had gotten started, before who ever was painting apparently gave up. The rest of the walls had faint pencil sketches on them, or small pictures of flowers and birds already painted in. On one wall, it was just colorful swirls. When you looked up at the ceiling, there was a sun and a moon on either side of the ceiling light. _

'_My mother had definitely gotten her hands on this room, at the peak of her artistic mood it seemed. She had helped me attack my room in a similar manner, with roses climbing up the wall and lilies lining my closet doors. I loved my room, but my friends suggested I change the "five year old" theme and move onto one solid color. _

'_I'd never change that room now. It'd always stay the same and I hope that Darrel never changed this room either, despite how weird it makes me feel. _

'_I forgot about the box when I started thinking of Sodapop. Why had no one called him to let him now my mother was sick? Why hadn't she? Why did no one tell him she had died? Why did no one talk about him at home anymore? _

'_I could only remember stories my grandmother and uncle snuck me, like handing me a cookie before dinner. I also remembered that when ever I asked for "soda" instead of "pop", my mother would get a funny look on her face and ask, "Sure honey. What kind of pop do you want?" I stopped slipping that up and said pop when ever I was around her._

'_But, eventually, I turned my attention back to the box and opened it up. At the top was a fairly new piece of paper.' _

xxxx

"_Dear Jennifer,_

_I'm dead. Simple, yes? You know it, I probably knew I was going to be, end of discussion. Not too hard. _

_I figured I would end up getting sick one day; that the sickness my father had was probably hereditary. Didn't think I'd die younger than him though. Either I had it worse than he did or I wasn't strong enough to hold out that long. The bad news, your father is your guardian. Good news? He ain't around. So you're with your Uncle Paul._

_But, since you're reading this, that means Pony did a job well done and so did you. Imagine how different it could have been if you just sat at home? Hell, you wouldn't be reading this. _

_The room you're sitting in now is the room I stayed in when I visited Soda for the first time. I wonder if Darry took all of my stuff down after I stopped dating Soda..._

_Anyway, in the box are just a few things of mine. Hair (and normal) accessories, pictures... but there's something hidden in the box too and you'll have to find it on your own, 'cause I'm the only one who knows what you're looking for and where it is. And I can't help you anymore. _

_By the way, the other papers that are scattered through out the box (actually, they should be under this one) are letters I've kept. Soda's, Pony's, Paul's, I think one or two from Two-bit, Steve, Linda and Donna... you can read them when ever you like, if ever. _

_Good luck finding the special prize inside! _

_Love, Alice... er... Mom."_

xxxx

Jennifer smiled. Alice forgot from time to time which name she was supposed to use to sign letters and other such things: Alice, Mom, or Mrs. Tate.

Just to make sure, Jennifer checked every letter for any hints. There, of course, were none, so she set them aside and grabbed a small box. Inside were hair accessories, jewelry, a few eyeliner pencils... nothing out of the ordinary.

She found a large envelope under that box and opened it. Drawings. She slipped them out and looked at all of them.

They were all pretty much people, though a few were a bit abstract. As Jennifer got closer to the end of the pile, she noticed that the pictures were more or less of the same person. An angry looking teenager, dated in '67. As the months in the date in the corner went by, he seemed to calm down. Between the second to last and last picture there was a note.

xxxx

"_Dear Jennifer,_

_Almost there! This teenager helped me more than he'll ever know. _

_Love, Mom. _

_P.S. When you see him, let him know."_

xxxx

"Okay, sure thing, Mom," Jennifer muttered, setting the pictures and the note aside too. There were a few stuffed animals in the box, but she didn't bother with those.

All that was left was a large bag of photos, so Jennifer took the bag and dumped the contents on the floor. She shifted through the photos of scenery and people. Some of the pictures she recognized and she guessed they must have been in someone's house before Alice sent them to Ponyboy.

One picture caught her eye. It wasn't one she was familiar with, but she recognized the face from her mother's drawings. She flipped it over.

"_Dallas 'Dally' Winston, 1967". _

Underneath that was a note and something heavily taped on.

xxxx

"_You found it! Underneath that wad of tape is a ring. Dally's ring. I've kept that ring for, oh, about 16 years now. I'm 32 as I write this little note... anyway! Once you get the ring, you can keep it. To talk to Dally, how ever, you have to **think **to him. _

_Just think his name and pretend you're passing a note. He'll get it, don't worry. You can do this when ever you like. Time doesn't matter to a dead teenager. Can't believe that bastard doesn't look a day older..." _

xxxx

"What the hell were you on?" Jennifer asked a picture of her mother. She just smiled at her.

* * *

_Yup. I went there. Anyway, next chapter will mention Jennifer's father (who he is exactly). You may have to re-read the chapter "Dallas Breaks A Routine" to catch the signifigance to who he is though. _

_And yes, the ring also means Dallas will make an appearance. I mean, c'mon, how can he not?_

_Ciao (For now)!_


	3. Chapter 3

Goodness! I updated yet again. Uhm, I dunno if I mentioned, but Jennifer is a blonde. And a Virgo. Her birthday is September 4th and this story takes place around the eighties. If anyone cares.

Jennifer was supposed to have light brown curly hair, but I wanted to really set her apart from her family. There's also other hidden reasons as to why she's a blonde haired blue eyed lass. But that's a secret. :)

Oooh, Jennifer's father. Who will it be? Read and find out! Foo. **

* * *

**

_**Blindfolded**_

_Three_

Jennifer sat for awhile, the ring in her pocket pressing against her thigh. She had rifled through every picture, letter and drawing and held every stuffed animal in that box, a hollow feeling forming in her body.

'_It was around that time that it hit me, again, that my mom was really gone. It was strange, the first few days, expecting to see her struggling in the kitchen or painting in the extra room; then it punches you in the face, rams into you, how ever you want to describe it, you remember: She's not going to be there anymore. _

'_She was really gone... for the second time, I was without a mother or a father, since that bastard never came around. I did cry when my mother died, obviously, but not as much as I did today. All that sobbing and gasping... my silent tears and tiny peeps had nothing against this. I found it odd that I felt more comfortable crying in a stranger's house than I did back home, while holding a stuffed rabbit. _

'_But, for some reason, I don't think I could have picked a better place to be at the time. In a room with my mother's things... with her fingerprints all over the place. A room she had stayed in when she was very much alive, without my father, to meet the person she could have had a life with._

'_I didn't mention the ring to Soda when he walked in and sat down on the floor next to me. He didn't say a word, so he obviously wasn't here to offer comfort or ask if everything was okay. Both would have been pointless, in my opinion. _

'_So we sat there, me feeling a bit awkward. I was glad I hadn't bothered to put mascara on before I left, but you could tell I had been crying anyway. You always could. Even if you were a complete stranger and it was almost an hour later, you'd figure it out. But, the reason I was glad was because, for reasons unknown to me, I didn't want Soda or Ponyboy to see me like that. _

'_But he didn't seem to notice me sniffling there next to him. He was looking at a picture of my mother.'_

"Who was the father?"

"Huh?"

"You need to have two parents to adopt... who was he?"

"... He's not around much-"

"Jennifer..."

Jennifer sighed and looked down, picking at her shoelaces. "His name was Ronnie. But my mother didn't use his last name. I don't have a choice so-"

"Ronnie Bartnett..." Soda muttered. "They went to school together. Dally said he was bad news," he added, though, more to himself than to Jennifer. He lightly tossed Alice's picture back onto the pile of photographs.

Jennifer bit the side of cheek and took a deep breath. She decided not to mention Dallas. It sounded like he was a normal person who wouldn't be receiving any mental messages anytime soon.

'_Maybe my mother was insane... but as soon as Soda left, I pulled out that stupid ring and tried anyway. _

'_I can't say why, but I was gunning for him to show up. Maybe it was because I didn't want my mother to be insane... Yeah, that's it. It has to be.'_

'_Five minutes later and nothing. But, I'm not going to admit my mother was crazy, that's just... wrong. So I tried again. Maybe I was expecting too much. _

'_Maybe **I** was crazy for believing something would happen. I distracted myself though, organizing the box so everything fit better. I was terrible at packing, so, I figured I should practice... while keeping track of the time of course. _

'_Soda left a sandwich on the dresser, which I didn't notice until he closed the door behind him as he left. I'm not a fan of sandwiches. They get crumbs everywhere and-'_

"Glory, you definitely ain't Alice."

Jennifer screeched, her pencil skittering across the paper. She looked up, her face pale. "Who are you?"

"I should be askin' you that. Where's Alice? She tryin' to trick me or somethin'?"

Jennifer stared at him for a moment, his face flicking on a light in her memory. The boy from the pictures. He was angry looking again and since she was sitting and he was standing, he towered over her. Jennifer squeaked. She wasn't sure how he had appeared out of, seemingly, no where.

He glared down at her, "Well?"

"She's not here... are you Dally?"

"Yeah, who's askin'?"

"Uh, my name's Jennifer."

Dally frowned, the anger falling away. "You're her kid, ain't ya? Why are you here and not in Chicago?"

"Well, I can't really stay home by myself, that's just depressing," Jennifer said, laughing a bit half-heartedly.

"She died and your damn father never came back, right?"

"Yeah, but how-"

"Look kid, I know a lot of stuff. It comes with the job. But that ain't no reason to come down here."

"Well, you see, she mentioned Ponyboy and your ring when she was sick, so I came to find him and see what she was talking about and... if she was sane."

"... Even I'm not sure about that one kid. Last I saw her, she was pretty upset... 'bout Soda and your father."

Jennifer noticed that 'father' seemed to be a poison in this place.

"Why did they break up?"

"Oh, so she finally told you?"

"No, I just read it in a letter she left me a few minutes ago. I was just wondering... I mean, it must be pretty bad, since she never spoke of him. Or, did they just not have enough time for each other? That's what my grandmom said."

"You talk pretty proper for a fifteen year old," Dally said, fishing in his pockets. He pulled out a cigarette and a match. Jennifer waited as he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit the match using a necklace he was wearing.

"I'll be sixteen in a few months," Jennifer muttered.

"You really wanna know?" Dally asked, looking down at her as he smoked his cigarette.

"...Yeah, I do."

"No."

"No? No what?"

"What your grandmother told you was bullshit. They got on each other's nerves, from what I understand. They were just different. Soda usually took his time to think things out and he was pretty laid-back about everything. Alice always wanted to be doing something, dangerous or not and Soda didn't want that. He was worried she'd get hurt. Your mother also wanted a kid of her own... Soda didn't think that was too hot of an idea.

"See, he wasn't sure if your mom would have the same sickness that her father had, or, if it would be passed down to their kid, if they ever had one. Soda wasn't sure if your mom could even handle a kid. He thought she was still pretty unstable."

"Unstable?"

"Once upon a time, your mother was the opposite of what you know her as. Quiet, snappy, kinda scared of everything. I've seen her at some pretty bad times. A few times, I thought she'd finally lost her mind."

"Oh," Jennifer said, not sure what else to say. She remembered when her mother would lock her self up in the extra room for hours on end. Was that why?

"Anyway, your mom was a smart girl. She could tell that Soda didn't trust her that she wasn't bein' treated like a woman, but like a five year old. Least, that's what she said to me."

Dally paused to smoke his cigarette again. "Your mom also had a habit of drinkin' when they went out, which was probably my fault, an'... well, you could say her attention would wander.

"Well, Soda's had bad experiences with _that_ before, so he wasn't havin' it. He got onto her about it and Alice just snapped at him. Said, 'Well, maybe there's someone else out there for me an' I'm missin' out. Someone else who doesn't treat me like a walking time bomb.' Soda just wasn't ready for her.

"And if you want my honest opinion kid, I don't think anyone ever would be."

"So... she didn't like the way she was being treated? That's it?"

"She felt like a mental patient, is what she told me. So they were both just hurtin' each other," Dally said, taking a drag from his cigarette and flicking ashes on the floor. "Alice was gettin' around, and I'm pretty sure Soda was once or twice too, and they were just makin' each other miserable."

"When you say 'gettin' around'..."

"She wasn't sleepin' with anyone else, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh... well, good," Jennifer said lamely. She looked out the window for awhile, and Dally was quiet, blowing smoke rings up toward the ceiling. "My mom...er, Alice, she wanted to say thank you. Said you'd helped her more than you'd ever know."

Dallas remained quiet and walked to the window. He opened it and popped the screen out, so he could flick his cigarette away.

"I knew... I knew a long time ago. I should probably find her and tell her that she helped me too. Your mother was a good person, Jen, don't let anyone tell you different."

xxxx

"I can't believe it... so, she was tellin' the truth?"

"You're mom wasn't really one for tellin' tales. If she says somethin' she means it."

"Ugh, I'm gonna kick Keith's ass when I see him again," Jennifer muttered, picking at her sandwich. "So, I'm really sitting here talking to an angel?"

"One of 'em," Dally said, stretching out on the bed. "She knew other ones. Leann, Julie and Johnny... and I think the Fink."

"The fink?"

"I don't remember his actual name, but he pisses me off all the time. I wanna beat his head in... but I can't, he'll just get better."

"...So, what's so special about this ring?" Jennifer asked, holding it up.

Dally smirked. "Well, I rolled it offa senior, would be the most important thing."

"...Well, what grade were you in?"

"I wasn't a senior when I got it, that's for sure. I didn't finish school."

"Huh... hated it that much huh? I wish I could drop out, but... I'd be living on a park bench if I did. But seriously, Dal."

"I gave it to your mom when she was younger. Sixteen, I think. It was a Christmas present."

"Aw," Jennifer said with a smile. "That's sweet."

"Hey, I had to give her somethin'. She gave me her necklace, I gave her my ring. She didn't want me to forget about her... kinda made a promise or somethin' when we did that. Don't remember what it was exactly, but we made it."

"That's lovely," Jennifer said, rolling her eyes.

"She used to keep it on a chain or somethin'... wonder where it went."

"I'll find some string... or something, when I get home. I have a necklace kit at home... from when I was like, ten. There might be some string left in it. Maybe. Hey, Dallas, do you know what my mom might have been talking about when she said 'Christine's eyes'?"

"What'd she say after that?"

"Nothin', she just got all sad and rolled over..." Jennifer said with a shrug, turning the ring in her fingers.

"We could go find good ol' Chrissy."

"I thought she was dead."

"Well, so am I," Dally said, sitting up. "I don't see the problem."

"...How am I supposed to find her?"

Dally was quiet for a minute and he looked around the room. He shrugged and, rather suddenly, hit Jennifer near the base of her neck. Poor Jennifer fell to the floor, out cold.

* * *

_Sound familiar? It's the same thing he did to Ponyboy when he was on fire. xD_

_Yes, he had a reason and no, he's not gonna be a creep and take advantage of her or anything. Just to clarify. _

_Jennifer's father...Ho hum. Well, he is from Running in the Dark. And no, he wasn't caught for the crime he did and yes, for some reason, Alice looked past that. If you still aren't sure... just let me know. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

Point A.5 Chapter (Ya know, the place between point A and B?). It's just there to kick off another event. And we see that Alice wasn't an all so perfect girl. She had other intentions when adopting Jennifer. Fun fun. : 

You know how they say you can see people that are dead when you're sleeping and such? Dally stole away her unconscious mind and brought it to Inbetween, where it took form. 

I want Jennifer to get to know one of the gang's kids, so I've been looking at a certain someone's stories (Maraaaaaauder... that's right, I'm callin' you out again. Is it okay if I ask to borrow a character? Maybe you could suggest one? I like interconnecting stories. It's a habit. :/). Just so she has someone her age to talk to and so you could see how she interacts with her age group... when they aren't dead. 

'Cause they're still older than her because they died a long time ago. So ha. :**

* * *

**

**Blindfolded**

_Four_

"Dallas! I leave you alone for five minutes! _Five minutes_! And you're suddenly Mr. White Knight to Miss. Blonde-Haired-Julie-Replacement?"

"Jules-"

"I don't get you Dally! I mean, sure, we're on and off, but come on!"

"Jules!"

"What?"

"She's Alice's _daughter_. I ain't doin' anythin' with her."

"...When the hell did she have a kid? She looks nothing like her! That's low-"

"Shut up! I ain't cheatin' on you with her, okay? She ain't even dead! I'm just borrowin' her so we can find Christine. She needs to talk to her."

"Christine is _working. _Like someone else I know should be."

"Who, Leann?"

"Real funny Dallas. Real, fuckin' hilarious."

"Aw, c'mon Jules, don't be such a bitch. Jules! Damn it, c'mon, don't walk away!"

xxxx

Jennifer groaned, rolling over onto her stomach and pushing herself up to her hands and knees. _"Oh... God, it feels like I got hit with a stick... repeatedly. By Superman. Where am I?"_

Surprised, Jennifer felt her throat, coughed and tried again. _"Eh?" _

"_Jules!"_

"_Who are you!" _

Jennifer nearly fell back as a curly haired blonde grabbed her by the front of her shirt and glared at her, her teeth gritted and bared. Like a wolf or something. Jennifer recognized her. She had been on the train she had been on to get here.

"_Jennifer. Who the hell are you?" _she snapped, glaring back.

"_Her name starts with the same letter as mine?" _the angry girl growled at Dally. He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets again.

"_I didn't name the kid, Julie. Let 'er go, she didn't do anythin', you're just bein' stupid." _

Julie huffed and shoved Jennifer back, who lay on the ground, waiting for her to disappear. Dally stood over her. _"She's got a bit of a jealous streak... but she ain't gonna hurt ya or nothin'."_

"_Girlfriend?"_

"_On and off."_

"_Oh... where am I?"_

"_Inbetween. I just call it, 'Up There'."_

"_You killed me?" _Jennifer screeched, sitting up. Dally seemed surprised by this.

"_No. I'm just borrowin' ya. I can't go around killin' people, it ain't my job."_

"_That's right!" _Julie called from a few good feet away. _"But you can just bring up any-"_

"_Shut up!" _

"_...Dallas is just supposed to watch over people. He's a Guardian Angel, not the Angel of Death. That's a different section entirely," _Julie said, sulking.

"_What is? The AoD's? I don' like them much... they're kind of conceited." _

"_...Why isn't Dally one again?" _Julie chirped. It was the only voice out of that exchange that Jennifer recognized.

Jennifer noticed Dally's jaw clench, and he looked over his shoulder. _"Christine, perfect. Why don't you get your empty head over here so I can get Jennifer back home?" _

Not a suggestion, but a command. Jennifer wondered why someone so temperamental was a Guardian Angel, but a girl walked over anyway, looking a bit worried.

Another blonde with curly hair. _"What?" _

"_Alice's daughter, Christine. Christine, Alice's daughter. I'm leaving." _

"_Dallas, what am I-"_

But Dallas had already disappeared. Julie, who was still glaring at Jennifer, stalked off.

"_...So... you're really her daughter? You don' really look like her. I'd say you look more like Dallas, if I were goin' by hair color and eyes." _

"_I was adopted." _

Christine nodded and sat down next to Jennifer.

"_Why are you all blonde?"_

"_Huh? Oh, that. Just a coincidence. There's people with brown hair, black hair, red hair... sometimes all at the same time. Not all Angels are blonde. Is there something you needed to ask me?"_

"_My mother mentioned your eyes."_

"_...Oh. I see," _Christine said, looking thoughtful. _"I suppose I'll have to tell you how I died then, won't I? Well, you see, I was at the drive-in with your mother, Alice, a friend, Linda and another friend, Andrew and this boy I was seeing, Ronnie."_

Jennifer noted the name, but didn't say anything.

"_And we were having a pretty good time... but then Ronnie and his friends started shooting and... I remember Dallas was there. Alice, Linda and I were hiding behind a car and he comes barrelin' around it, slides on the gravel next to Alice and grabs her as the windows above us got shot out. _

"_I thought they were seein' each other but it really wasn't the time to be discussing those things. He told us we had to run, so we did. But I had to run barefoot, because I had been wearing heels and I'm not very good at running in heels on gravel. _

"_I fell behind a bit and Alice came back and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. I was shot in the head and Alice was facing me, watching it all happen._

"_You see, when you die, your eyes look different. They look empty, but I suppose mine may have been accusing."_

"_Why?"_

"_If Alice hadn't pulled me forward, they would have missed me. I would have made it out. They tell you that on the way up. They tell you what life would have been without you, what would have happened if you had done one thing differently. Most of us don't remember it. The only part I remember was that Alice had accidentally caused my death." _

Christine paused, looking up at the sky and at the people wandering around in the field. _"I blamed her for awhile. I mean, that's what I do. I was 17 and I wasn't as forgiving as most people. But after awhile I got over it. She couldn't have known. _

"_The only problem is I think I sent some sort of negative energy down to her because of it. She had the feeling I blamed her and she wanted to apologize. But there really wasn't any way she could." _

"_Ronnie was there?"_

"_You know him?"_

"_He's my dad."_

Christine gave Jennifer the most sympathetic look she had ever seen. _"I'm so sorry..."_

xxxx

'_Christine went down and got my journal for me. So who ever reads this in a bajillion years from now should thank her that this entry is even there. Sorry if the page is ruined. I can't stop crying. No, it's not like before, I'm just... crying. _

'_I really wish she hadn't said sorry. But now I'm wondering, why the hell did she marry him? Why? Why couldn't she just make it work with Soda, or find someone else? Anyone but him. _

'_Hold on.'_

Jennifer looked up, to see what was casting a shadow on her paper.

"_I thought you'd look like her..." _the boy said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"_Yeah, I seem to get that a lot."_

"_Sorry... I'm Johnny."_

"_Jennifer."_

"_...You kinda remind me of Dallas."_

"_I've heard that too," _Jennifer muttered. But she stored it away, like everything else she had heard while being in "Inbetween".

'_But that got me thinking, so I asked Johnny if he could stick around. I had some questions to ask him.'_

"_Do I really look that much like Dallas?"_

"_Well, your face is kinda different, and your eyes a bit darker but..." _Johnny stopped, looking at Jennifer suspiciously. _"Why?"_

"_...I'm beginning to wonder how much my mother actually liked Dallas. And if she adopted just for that reason." _

"_Alice wouldn't do that."_

"_It's been a while, hasn't it? When did you die?" _

"_1966."_

"_See? It's the eighties now. She could have changed. She might have been, like, completely insane and that's the only reason she wanted me around, was because I reminded her of Dallas." _

"_I dunno..." _Johnny said uncertainly.

"_Just... think about it, okay? I mean, it kind of made sense. It seemed like there was some sort of connection between the two, from what I've heard. Maybe, just maybe, that was why she didn't stay with Soda-"_

"_Wait... she was with Soda?"_

"_Yes, but can I go on? Anyway, maybe that's the real reason she was annoyed with him. He's **nothing **like Dallas, but Ronnie..." _Jennifer trailed off, hoping Johnny would catch what she was getting at.

"_Ronnie was..." _Johnny said quietly.

* * *

_Mhm, I went there. When ever I wrote for Alice's character, I got this sense of attraction to Dallas. But I wasn't sure why. When I wrote for Connie or Donna or Linda, it wasn't there. So I looked into it more than I needed too. _

_Yup, if you can't remember, Julie and Dallas are going together (on and off) and they just so happen to be "on" right now. So, that's a look into that relationship. Yes, I made Dallas a bit calmer than Julie, but he still snaps at her. I just always thought that Dally probably would have been a semi-calm person if he wasn't always pissed off. _


	5. Chapter 5

Rawr. This took a lot of PMs between Marauder and I. So, introducing, Tommy Randle, Steve's darling son, who's about a year younger than Jennifer. 

He belongs to Marauder, so any compliments on character should go to her. **

* * *

**

_**Blindfolded**_

_Five_

"_How am I supposed to get back?" _Jennifer asked, standing on the edge of the field and looking down. It was very gray below her, like there were a bunch of dust bunnies hanging out in the sky.

Dallas took a drag on his cigarette, put a hand on her shoulder, and shoved her forward.

And Jennifer went shrieking back to Earth. Literally.

xxxx

Gasping, Jennifer jerked awake and sat up, flailing her limbs for a moment. "Holy shit," she breathed, her breaths heavy but even, despite the fact that her heart was skipping like a rabbit.

Jennifer let out an empty sob and ran a hand through her hair, looking around. She was still in Alice's "bedroom" but, she wasn't on the floor like she expected to be. Instead, she was on the bed, the lone pillow on the floor from her jerking about.

"I never ever want to do that again," Jennifer muttered, looking at the floor. She smiled. Well, Dallas had been nice enough to throw her journal after her.

"Hey, Pony! How come the 'touch-this-door-and-die' door is open?"

"Stay outta there Tommy. Someone's resting in there."

"Then why'd he leave the door open?" a voice muttered. Jennifer watched, a bit curiously, as the shadow that had been moving across the floor was finally accompanied by a pair of shoes. Beat up shoes, not much different from the ones she had been wearing... where ever they were now, she had no clue.

Slowly, her gaze wandered up and, realized that the shoes belonged to a boy about her age, who was studying her in return. But, Jennifer decided that since he wasn't snapping at her he wasn't bothered by her staring. She wasn't sure who he could be, but she noticed he had blue eyes.

Like her's ... or Dallas's... Jennifer was aware that her facial expression had probably changed from curious to annoyed and looked away. But the boy didn't leave.

Sighing she looked back at him. "No, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you'?"

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"Anything?"

"I'm sorry am I bothering you?" He asked sweetly, a smile on his face. Jennifer narrowed her eyes.

"_Huh, a little smart ass. I can do that," _She thought, moving so her feet hung over the edge of the bed.

"No, actually, you aren't."

He shrugged and stepped into the room, looking at the walls and the few items scattered on a dresser.

"So... your name's Tommy?"

"Yup," he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm Jennifer."

"That's nice."

"... What were you saying, before you came in here?"

"Why did he leave the door open?"

"No, before that."

"About the door?"

"Yeah, what did you mean by that?"

Tommy stopped his little investigation and leaned against the wall. Jennifer noticed that he seemed to be watching her more than was necessary. "You ever get yelled at to never go in a room? Ever?"

"Yeah, my Aunt's dining room."

"This is your Aunt's dining room."

"Oh."

"Why're you here?"

"... Uh, it's kind of personal. I dunno if I want to tell you right now... why're you here?"

"I come here all the time. My dad's these guys' friend."

"So why aren't you with your dad?"

"That's kind of personal-"

"Okay, I get it," Jennifer said, cutting him off before he had the chance to fully mimic her. "I don't ask, you don't ask."

"Oh, but I was really hoping to get to know you better."

"... You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

Tommy shrugged, eyeing her again. "Dunno. You seem kinda interesting. Not everyday I walk into a room and find a blonde girl just sitting on a bed in a room no one else is allowed in," he said, walking closer to the bed. He bent down and picked up her pen that was laying on the floor and sat down, tapping it on his shoe.

"How old are you anyway?"

"Old enough."

"I'm just trying to figure some things out. It isn't that interesting," Jennifer said, looking at her socks. Her stupid, bright green socks. "Probably should have turned a light on before I grabbed these," she muttered, fingering the top of a sock.

"Probably should have burned 'em, if you want my opinion."

"You're probably right," Jennifer said, laughing.

"Where you from Jennifer?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm from Chicago."

"Does everyone sound as weird as you do?"

"Yes."

Jennifer grinned as Tommy laughed.

'_So Tommy's not all that bad, despite the fact that he keeps watching me. I keep waiting for him to jump on me and rip my throat open or something, but I doubt he'd do that. I doubt any person would do that, but, you never know. Some people are kind of weird. _

'_He seems like a pretty honest person. Maybe I could ask him if this entire trip was just a waste. I mean, I find out things that just... ruin the image of my mother forever, I can't stop wondering about things I never wanted to wonder about... and I got pushed off of the edge of someplace in the sky by an Angel._

'_Not exactly what I was expecting.'_

"Could you please stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Tommy, and it's getting on my nerves."

"I'm bored. Ya know why? You're boring, and right now, the only thing keepin' me occupied is my shoe. I'm not really jumping at the chance to give up my only entertainment."

Jennifer sighed, snapping her journal shut and tapping her pen on the edge of it. "Well? What do _you _want to do?"

"Stop it, that's annoying."

"Shut up."

"Let's just get outta the house," Tommy said, standing up and walking out of the room. Jennifer sat for a moment, before grabbing her shoes and following him, pushing them onto her feet as she went. She'd never actually been asked to go anywhere by a boy before. It was a bit odd.

After avoiding a near collision with the screen door, she caught up to Tommy as he was jumping over the chain link fence that surrounded the house's yard. Jennifer used the gate.

They walked down the street in silence, Tommy with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched a bit and Jennifer on full alert, looking around with a bit more interest now that she had somewhere to stay. It wasn't as hot out as it had been before, which was a hint that the afternoon had come and gone.

"Hold up," Tommy said, putting an arm in front of Jennifer, before she crossed the street.

"... Wow, a personal crossing-guard. I can cross the street on my own, you know."

"I never would have believed it, but I'll have to take your word," Tommy bit back. "That's not why I stopped you. I wanna tell you, the tourist, the things that I, the native, happen to know about this place."

"Oh, well go right ahead. Enlighten me, oh Native one."

"Sure thing, Tourist. See that street light?"

"It's kind of hard not to."

"Well, anywhere around that street light is supposed to be haunted. But it usually doesn't get bad until school's already started."

"... You're kidding, right? How can a street be haunted?"

"Well, it ain't that hard. Some places on the back roads are haunted too. People die out there all the time and with the Trail of Tears an' all..." Tommy said with a shrug.

"Well? Why don't we sit on that haunted corner and you can tell me a story," Jennifer said with a smirk, crossing the street.

"I'd love too. But it'd be better if we waited until night, ya know. That, and I didn't tell Pony we were leavin' and he's gonna be none too happy about us bailin' out on him. You 'specially, since your well being is in his hands now that you're stayin there."

Jennifer's eyes widened and she looked at Tommy who was smirking. She remembered how snappy Darrel had been on the phone... and what would her Unlce say once Pony called him to say she was missing? Would he call? Or would he just be waiting at the door like her grandmother did?

"_...It must be bad if Tommy was willing to... oh that little-"_

"...You little rat! You did that on purpose!" Jennifer shrieked, making a move to catch Tommy in a choke hold. Tommy moved, laughing.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be dumb enough to just walk outta the house," Tommy said, raising his hands in defense.

Jennifer glared at him and shoved him back against the corner store wall they were standing near. Tommy stared after her as she stormed away, a bit more than surprised.

"Jen! Wait!"

"Fuck you, Tommy!" Jennifer shouted over her shoulder. She'd go back to the payphone if she had to. It was the only other street she knew and she had no intentions of getting lost just because some boy had upset her enough that she'd storm away.

She looked over her shoulder and sighed in relief when she saw that Tommy wasn't chasing after her. That was really the last thing Jennifer wanted at the moment. She made sure to keep an eye out for some place to just hide. She didn't care if she would get in trouble, she just needed to sit somewhere and not be bothered for awhile.

Jennifer finally came upon a messy lot in between two buildings, with enough junk in there for her to duck behind and not be seen from the street. She waited until the street was pretty much empty before she hopped the fence surrounding the lot and fell to her hands and knees on the way down.

She scurried past an old, broken refrigerator and ducked in between that and an old couch. She kept an eye out for rats or any other less than desirable creature (Tommy included), before getting a bit more comfortable.

"Why me?" Jennifer muttered, looking up at the now twilight sky. Was that where she had fallen from? That cloud up there? Or that one? Or maybe Inbetween was even higher up than that. Above all of those clouds. Above the airplanes too. Had she passed an airplane on the way down?

She couldn't remember.

Was Alice up there somewhere, watching all of this happen? Or maybe it was someone else she knew that had died. She couldn't think of anyone else.

"Huh, great, screwed down here and screwed up there. Life doesn't get more low than that," Jennifer said to herself, picking at the dying grass as her vision blurred.

"Damn it!" Jennifer cursed, hitting the wall behind her with the side of her fist. "This wasn't supposed to make things worse."

"Hey, there you-" Tommy knelt down in front of Jennifer, out of breath. He stopped and looked at the mess of blonde hair. "What, you're hiding from me now?"

No answer.

"Jen? C'mon, it's not that big of a deal."

"I never should have come here."

"What? I can't hear you when you're talking into your-"

"I should have stayed in Chicago! Nothing good is coming from this," Jennifer said, looking up at him. "I should have waited at home and just left it alone, but no, I fucked up again and came here!

"You wanna know why I'm here? Because my mother mentioned some stupid things and now she's dead and laughing at me somewhere because she got me to come out here so I could learn how awful she was!"

"I doubt she's laughing at you."

"Someone out there is... life is laughing in my face right now and I can't do much about it, now can I?" Jennifer muttered, wiping the tears away from her face with her hands.

"... C'mon, I think I'll show you that street corner."

"Yeah, that'll make me feel better."

"Just do it."

Jennifer sniffled and stood up, brushing her pants off. Tommy didn't wait for her to catch up, and jumped the fence, Jennifer following a few feet behind. When they did reach the corner, the streetlights were on.

Jennifer looked up at the street light and the trees, a weak wind making the remaining tears on her face dry and feel funny.

"About twenty years ago, a boy got shot here," Tommy began, as the occasional car drove by. "Dad said that life hadn't even bothered laughing at him. It just turned around and ignored him."

"Why'd he get shot?"

"He robbed a store... and he ran down here, the cops followin' 'im in their cars, 'cause it was an armed robbery."

Jennifer listened, looking down the street. She could almost hear the sirens and the heavy breathing of a runner.

"He turns around right there," Tommy said, pointing. "Pulls out a gun and says, 'You'll never take me alive!'"

"Then..." Jennifer glanced at him, before looking back at the circle of yellow light on the street.

"Bang," Tommy said, making a gun with his fingers and shooting at the air under the street light. "Shot him down. His friends came runnin' up as he was gettin' shot, my Dad said it was at least six times, 'cause he had called them and told them he needed somewhere to lay low for awhile. So, that's where he was runnin' to."

Jennifer continued to stare, the sounds still echoing in her head. The boy yelling to the cops... the gun fire, the screaming.

"They run up screaming, tellin' the cops not to shoot. And this is what really got me. They start screamin', 'It's not loaded! It's not loaded!'"

Jennifer shuddered. "Suicide."

"Yup. Anyway, sometimes, if you come by here around that time, you can hear it all happening again. At least, that's what I've heard. Just ask around, I'm sure someone'll tell you somethin' crazy."

Jennifer smiled a bit, "You know that one street, where the boy got shot under the street light? See anythin' weird there?"

"Yeah. You."

"Was there a point to tellin' me that story?"

"Yeah. Life is laughin' in everybody's face, not just yours, how ever pretty your face may be."

"What'd you say?"

"...What?"

"What'd you just say?"

"Life is laughin' in everybody's face."

"... All of it."

"Not just yours."

"That wasn't-"

"It's gettin' kinda late... and I'm kinda hungry. And I know someone's made dinner by now. I'm gonna go home. You know how to get back?"

"No..." Jennifer said, wondering what Tommy had meant before. Was he complimenting her or just saying it in general?

Tommy gave her directions and after a few minutes, Jennifer was growling in anger. He had gotten her lost. So after a few more minutes, she found the street the pay phone was on and got some pity change from a woman passing on the street.

"Hello?"

"This isn't Darry is it?"

"Jennifer? It's Ponyboy. Tommy came back without you, and-"

"Yeah, I'm not surprised, since that little shit is the one that got me lost in the first place. I know how to get back from the pay phone, I'll be there to kill him in a few minutes."

"Alright, I'll save some dinner for you," Ponyboy said with a laugh.

"Thanks," Jennifer said, before she hung up the phone.

xxxx

To her surprise, Tommy was waiting on the front porch, a smirk on his face. "So," He said casually. "I heard some pretty interesting stuff about you. There a reason your mom dropped you off at some girl's home or did you ask her too?"

Jennifer froze. "What?"

"Or maybe your mom was a whore, is that it? She too young to take care of you? That usually means the kid was a mistake, ya know. That they weren't wanted in the first place."

"Shut up."

"And now your new mother decided to die on ya."

"Tommy..."

"Does that mean you'll be goin' back to that girl's home? They gonna throw you a 'Welcome Home' party?"

"Stop it."

"No, I don't think I will. You were right, life is just laughin' it's ass off right now 'cause of you. You're the only blonde in the family aren't you? And your own dad upped and left too. I imagine that Life is just about to bust a gut at the rate this is goin'."

"Shut up!"

"Do you even know _why _your mother died? How she got sick? I mean, she may not have been sick at all. She may have just decided to cop out and took one pill too many. You don't seem to be real popular in the 'loved child' department to-"

"Shut your fuckin' face!" Jennifer screeched, ramming into him and knocking him back into the wall. "I don't want to hear you anymore, you got it? So you can just shut the fuck up!"

Jennifer had a firm grip on his shirt, but Tommy seemed unfazed. "You're pretty cute when you're violent," he said with a smirk.

"I can't believe you... you're just... ugh. Just leave me alone, huh? Why don't you go home?" Jennifer said, shoving him back again and walking to the front door.

"Bad news sweetheart, I'm stayin' here tonight."

Jennifer slammed the front door shut.

* * *

_Tommy likes to push people. According to Marauder, his logic is backwards. If someone appears to be dangerous or a threat (or just pissed off) he tries to make it worse. So, that arguement isn't totally... pointless. Jennifer is kind of touchy too, so her reactions may be over dramatic, but that's how she is. _

_No, I don't plan on Tommy and Jennifer liking each other any more than friends. He's just kind of blunt at times and, since he knows it bothers her, will tease her about that kind of stuff (i.e. you're pretty cute when your violent). At least, that's my understanding of him._

_How he found out all of that stuff is in the next chapter. Of course, if anything seems strange or unnatural, I can change it up a bit. I'm not against any of that. I want to write a good story, so I'm not against help. _


	6. Chapter 6

_This entire chapter is a work in progress. I'm trying to fix up the action scene... which wasn't very action-y. :(_

_**Edit:** I still suck at action scenes. _

**

* * *

**

**Blindfolded**

_Six_

'_Okay... so I was definitely wishing I had enough money for at **least **a motel. I have never felt more... uncomfortable in my life. Ever. Tommy was all... 'Grr' and Sodapop kept looking at me and looking very confused. Ponyboy seemed as uncomfortable as I was and Darry was just irritable, so I stayed away from him. _

'_That, and I was wondering who the **hell **had told Tommy my freakin' life story. I wanted to just... poke them in the eye. I didn't want him to know. If I did, I would have told him, wouldn't I? And because of... the freakin' information booth, I had a very bad experience. _

'_I've never been so... violent. Ever. Usually I'm pretty mellow. Then again, no one else ever got onto me about such personal stuff. Hold on.' _

Jennifer held her journal to her chest and kicked Tommy away from her. "Do I have to get tape and divide the room? Stay. Away. From. Me."

"Aw, c'mon Jen. I said I was sorry. Just one look?"

"And you're a fuckin' liar. Just leave me alone, it's not that hard. You stay quiet and do something else and I stay quiet and ignore you."

"...Okay, seriously, you're having the worst mood swings in the history of the world."

"It's your fault."

"Oh come on, it can't all be my fault."

"..."

"Do I have to say I'm sorry again?"

"One: my journal really isn't that great. Get over it. Two: I don't think you'll ever, ever, ever, be able to apologize for what you did. Ever."

"That's being a bit overly dramatic, I think."

"Did you even hear what you were saying? It's not like I didn't have enough issues with my birth mother, but then you startin on the woman who raised me? What if I started saying that sort of stuff about your mother?"

Jennifer paused, waiting for Tommy to say something. He tensed but that was it.

"...Do you-"

"I have a mother... and a step-mother. So take your pick."

"Oh... I'm sorry. Was it bad?"

"What makes you think I'd tell you?"

"I dunno," Jennifer said with a shrug. She opened her journal again, doodling at the top of the page.

"When were you put up for adoption?"

"Yeah, like I'm gonna give you more ammo for _that_. I ain't fallin' for it."

Tommy sat back on the couch, watching Jennifer again. Again, he tried to get close enough to look at what she was writing. He got a kick to the shoulder. "Ow! I just wanna know what you're writin' about!"

"It's my business! _Stay out of it_!"

"Jennifer."

Both Jennifer and Tommy looked up at Sodapop as he walked to the end of the couch, the one Jennifer was leading against. He knelt down and looked at her and then at Tommy.

"I was gonna tell you earlier but... Tommy, this isn't for you to hear."

"It's fine, he already knows my freakin' life story."

"Tommy," Soda said, his tone condescending. "I told you not to listen in."

"Listen in on what?" Jennifer asked, turning to face him.

"Pony was just... explaining some things to me. I guess I should have locked Tommy out of the house."

"I would've been able to get back in," Tommy said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, what ever," Soda said, rolling his eyes and smiling at him. "Anyway, while you were gone... Paul called."

"... Why?"

"Apparently, your father decided to come home and he's wondering where you are."

"You make it sound like he's _not _breaking things right now."

"Well, I wouldn't know... he hasn't called here. Yet. He'll probably manage to find the number some where."

"You're making me go back, aren't you?" Jennifer asked, glaring at him.

"My vote's definitely against it. All of ours are. But since he's your legal guardian... we can't just deny him the right to see you. It'll cause a lot of trouble."

"He never cared before, why would he care now?"

"People are kinda funny like that," Tommy said with a shrug.

"Shut up Tommy, I didn't ask you," Jennifer snapped. Tommy raised his eyebrows and turned away from her.

"I'm guessin' there's some hard feelings between you two. And you barely even know each other," Soda said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well if he wasn't such and ass-"

"She's a bitch."

"You jerk! I am not a bitch."

"And you call _me _a liar?"

"Hey, chill. You're supposed to be sleepin' anyway," Sodapop said, putting a hand onto of Jennifer's head and casting a meaningful glance at Tommy.

"I ain't sleepin' near him," Jennifer muttered, moving her head away from Soda's hand.

"I think it'll help patch up what ever's goin' on between you two if you spend some time together. Tell some stories to scare each other, what ever works. But holdin' grudges ain't gonna do you no good."

"...You have a grudge against my mother, don't you?" Jennifer asked, looking at Soda again. Even Tommy looked over, interested. Soda paled and shook his head.

"I don't blame her for anythin'," Soda muttered, standing up and walking back to his bedroom.

"What was _that_ about?"

"My mother and Soda used to go out... but they didn't really agree with each other, so she married someone else and adopted me. Apparently, she didn't tell him a thing," Jennifer said simply, drawing on the top of the paper again.

"Harsh. Hey, what time is it?"

Jennifer sighed and held her journal close, leaning over the arm of the couch to see into the kitchen and see the clock on the wall. "Why?"

"Just tell me."

"It's like... 10:54."

"Shit," Tommy hissed, grabbing his shoes and pulling them on.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"It's none of your business."

"Oh come on, are you gonna do something stupid?"

"I was supposed to meet my friends at ten."

"Oh..." Jennifer said, stretching out her legs as Tommy got up and grabbed a sweater from the floor. "You have fun with that, I guess."

"Sure. Just for you," Tommy said, pulling the sweater over his head as he opened the door and walked out. Jennifer narrowed her eyes, her gaze on the door, wondering why he had put a sweater on in the first place. It wasn't that cold outside.

xxxx

_Burning lungs... it hurt to breathe. Can't stop running. Keep going. Where is he? Falling... scraped knees. Bang._

Jennifer's eyes snapped open, the images, feelings and sounds slowly slipping away. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that it had nothing to do with Dallas, the feeling was different from what she had felt on the street before.

"So, who was it?" Jennifer muttered, sitting up and pulling her hair back. She leaned forward, her arms resting on her thighs.

_Light hair, worn shoes, blue eyes..._

Jennifer suddenly felt cold, before a sudden rush of warmth set her to action. She grabbed her shoes and pulled them onto her feet in a rush. She leapt from the couch and yanked the front door open, pushing the screen door open as she rocketed off the porch.

_Same street... street name? Can't see it... _

It was like someone was putting one transparent picture over a solid one. But not everything was clear. Jennifer wasn't sure what was going on, or what she was seeing or how, but she knew she'd have to worry about that later.

She careened around a corner before she saw a small group of boys under a streetlight. She slowed down. Nothing was happening. She was panting lightly, watching, before she jogged over to the dark, small alley between two stores.

'_What the hell is going on?' _Jennifer wondered, catching her breath as she watched the boys carefully. She saw it before they did. A ghostly figure running down the street, the flash of lights.

The boys seemed to get excited then, a few of them taking off and the others cheering and pushing each other, swearing.

"Maybe it _was_ Dallas I saw," Jennifer muttered. But a boy suddenly ran out into the street, under the streetlight where she knew the ghost would fall. It was eerie to watch, the ghost turning just under the streetlight, the far off sound of gun shots, and then, it fell through the boy, before disappearing.

It was quiet then and the boy sauntered back over to his friends. He seemed to be asking for something. The boy he asked shook his head and shoved him.

_Bang. _

"Oh no," Jennifer said, bending down and picking up a rock as she ran forward. "Tommy!"

Tommy turned to look at her, surprised. Jennifer wished she hadn't called him. She stopped in the middle of the street and drew back her arm, "Duck!" and chucked the rock forward. Luckily, Tommy was pretty quick on catching onto the fact that a rock was flying toward his head. It hit the boy that he had been standing in front of and he stumbled back, falling and holding his head.

Tommy walked over to her, glaring. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Tommy, listen, I-"

"No, just shut up! Why don't you keep _your _nose out of _my _business, huh?"

Jennifer tuned him out, looking over his shoulder. "Tommy, if we don't leave, it'll happen again."

"...What?"

"The story you told me! If we don't-"

"Alright, I get it, I creeped you out, but nothin's gonna happen."

_Bang. _

Jennifer jumped and screamed, the bullet making an odd noise as it hit the pavement. Tommy grabbed her arm and ran.

"Look what you did," Tommy said, jerking her forward as he ran down the street. Jennifer stumbled and almost fell forward, but she managed to catch herself. She knew it was coming. She realized what was going on now.

'_I was the one running... I was the one who fell.'_

"Tommy, you need to understand, if I hadn't done that, you'd probably be dead right now," Jennifer gasped. She could hear the boy behind them.

"Why, because he pushed me? I'm definitely gonna die now!"

"No," Jennifer said with a small smile. "No, just me. C'mon," Jennifer said, grabbing his hand and dragging him around a corner. She dropped back and took another direction.

'_Keep going... c'mon...'_ Jennifer pleaded. She could hear the boy's foot steps behind her and Tommy kept going.

"Yes!" Jennifer gasped, her smile widening. She jumped a fence and fell, feeling the sharp sting of her skin scraping the pavement. She jumped up and kept running.

"You're gonna die for what you did!"

"I know," Jennifer called over her shoulder. The boy, who Jennifer realized was really about eighteen and not as much of a boy as she had thought, faltered, slowing down a bit. Smiling, Jennifer picked up the pace and ducked into and alley way.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" _

Jennifer screamed, trying to jerk her arm out of someone's grip.

"_Calm down! Damn, you're about as jumpy as Johnny." _

"Who-" Jennifer stopped, confused. "Dallas?"

"_I heard that some crazy kids were gettin' into some trouble in Tulsa so I came to check it out. Guess one of them kids was you." _

"I can't stop running right now, I have to find Tommy and-"

"_Nah, you don't. Time's slowed down right now. A trick I picked up after twenty years. Tommy's fine, Leann's leadin' him home right now." _

"What about-"

"_Julie's takin' care of him. 'Course, after this, no one's gonna remember anythin' 'cept you." _

"Why just me?"

"_Well I'll remember too if it makes you feel any better." _

"That's not what I meant."

"_I shouldn't have brought you Up There. It did somethin' to ya. Messed with somethin'..." _Dallas muttered, leading Jennifer down the alley way and back onto the street. She saw the blonde, Julie, kneeling over the boy in the street, taking his gun.

"_Man, this kid's more boozed up then I was last night... no wonder he pulled a gun on you guys." _

"Wait, what did it do to me? Am I gonna die?" Jennifer asked, looking back at Dally.

"_No," _Julie said, standing up and dusting off her hands and her skirt. _"You're just a bit more perceptive than most people... ya know, see things that they can't see, that sort of thing." _

"You mean-"

"_You can work in a circus, wear about fifty shawls, and charge twenty bucks to look into a ball to see absolutely nothing," _Julie clarified.

Jennifer stared at her, before she slowly faded away and Darry's house replaced the street she had been on. Tommy was standing on the porch, looking a bit confused.

"Did you suddenly appear here too?"

"Yeah, I think I did," Jennifer said, looking around. Dallas was gone. "He said no one else would remember."

"That one chick said it'd probably be okay if I remembered what happened. Said I'd learn a lesson... or somethin'. How'd you know what would happen?"

"I... I kinda guessed. I figured what ever you were doin' was goin' to get you in trouble."

"Then how'd you know when to throw that rock at Chris?"

"... Another guess?"

"You're a liar..." Tommy said, sitting down on the steps of the porch. "...But you helped me out, so I won't hold it against you, no matter how weird you and the whole situation may be."

"Gee, thanks," Jennifer said, rolling her eyes.

"...Seriously, thanks..." Tommy said, looking at his shoes.

"What was goin' on?"

"He owed me money... and he refused, so I called him some names and... well, he pushed me and you chucked that rock."

"...Really?"

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Not really," Jennifer said, shrugging and looking at her own shoes.

"...I owed him money."

"Huh? What for?"

"This ain't twenty questions," Tommy snapped. "I didn't have it and..."

"Oh."

"So... now I can keep my money. Thanks," Tommy said, walking inside. Jennifer watched him walk inside, before shaking her head and sitting down. She looked across the yard, her chin in her hands, as she yawned.

'_I ain't doin' this anymore!' _

'_Then don't! Just drop me then, like you've been planning to. Why keep puttin' it off?' _

Jennifer looked around, confused. The transparent picture slipped over her view again and she watched as the screen door slammed open.

'_I wouldn't have to be thinkin' about this if you could just-'_

'_Don't you dare... don't you **even **try to blame this all on me.' _

Jennifer's eyes widened as a younger Alice and Soda stepped onto the porch. Soda looked quite upset and Alice's eyes were red, like she had been crying. She glared at him as if daring him to try and continue.

'_I don't get you Alice... you weren't like this before. You never cheated before' _

'_Yeah? You never cheated before either! You weren't anything like this. Who gave you the idea that I **liked **you hanging over me like I'm in a hospital? What are you waiting for? A mental break down?' _

'_I'm just tryin' to-'_

'_No, stop. Just... stop it. You wanna help? Leave me alone. I'm not sixteen anymore Soda, I'm an **adult **and perfectly fine now. But you don't seem to believe me. Do you not trust me? Are you waiting for me to go crazy on you and then jump off the roof?" _

"_Alice... listen," _The younger Soda said, reaching out for her shoulder. Alice glared at him and shrugged him off.

"_I'm going home Soda..." _Alice said, looking away and walking down the steps. Jennifer noted the slight bounce in Alice's step as she walked down the steps, despite how hard she tried to stop herself. Jennifer looked up at Soda, who seemed a bit lost for words. He turned and faded away before he reached the door. Alice had disappeared too.

Jennifer stared, feeling very cold again. That had been quite a few years before Jennifer knew Alice, before Alice became her mother. Quite a few years where they hadn't spoken a word to each other...

And now Alice was dead. Jennifer held her head and bent forward. No wonder Soda had been so upset...

* * *

_Yeah. Just a bit of supernatural flair from Miso. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Yup. A long chapter. Rejoice and eat some PB and J sammiches. :D_

_There may be some characterization problems with Tommy. :( _

_I thought I had a hang on that kid and then I lose all confidence. You made a complicated character, Marauder. Be proud! You know you've done good when no one else can write him as well or as easily! Still... it made this chapter hard. I don't know what the feedback on this chapter will be, but, thanks to technology, I can replace it in the same day I'm informed of something that should be fixed. :)**

* * *

** _

**Blindfolded**

_Seven_

'_I didn't sleep that night. I was kind of afraid too, actually. I found out the hard way that there were a lot of things that other people couldn't see around this place and it got worse when I fell asleep, so I had to stay up all night, bored out of my mind. _

'_Soda wasn't around when I walked back in and I wondered where he was. Not that I was expecting him to be up and about at about two in the morning, which was when we got back, but he wasn't anywhere in the house. I kind of wanted to ask him if he'd find someone to take me back home._

'_I know, who ever will be reading this later (which very well may be me) must think I'm a total idiot. It's not like I have much to go back too, considering the Dad factor in this one, but I don't think I can bring myself to hang around here much longer. I found out what I wanted and probably even more than I wanted and now my entire life is just... thrown out the window because of this... thing, that keeps happening. _

'_That lucky bastard Tommy is fast asleep... and I really wish I could be too. But I keep hearing voices and it keeps me up. A lot of times I'll hear my mother. Just a kind of whisper or something. A faint laugh. It makes me feel awful. I need something to block out the sound of it, but I can't find anything. If I was at home and still five years old, I could crawl into my cousin's bed, or even my grandma's or aunt's and uncle's... of course, if my mom were alive, I could be shuffling into her room right now. But then I wouldn't have a reason to be shuffling about, now would I?_

'_... I think I'm gonna go shuffle. Maybe Soda's just in a bedroom or something.'_

xxxx

Jennifer carefully peeked into each bedroom door, squinting to see who was in each one. Darry was in the larger room, sleeping quite soundly, so Jennifer didn't bother walking into that room. Besides, he was snappy and Jennifer didn't like that. Soda was in the room next door, his back to the door as he slept pretty close to the wall.

Since Jennifer barely knew him, she just shuffled her way in, carrying the pillow and blanket that had been left on the couch, and dropped them on the floor, before following them. She tried not to sigh in relief as she lay down and pulled the blanket over her. There wasn't a single sound in this room except for Soda's light breathing and she wasn't getting the strange tingly feeling she'd been getting earlier that morning.

She fell asleep a few minutes later, curled up on the floor a few feet away from the bed that Soda was sleeping on.

xxxx

"You can't just ask an AoD for favors-"

"Shut up, Bobby," Julie snapped at the rather "dorky" boy standing across from her. The small group of Guardians were standing in a circle, debating on what they should do.

"Well, it's not really a favor. We just want to know where she is."

"To them, that's a favor."

"...Shut up Bobby," Leann said in a flat tone. Dallas snorted, a smirk on face as Bobby glared at him.

"Do you personally know any of those AoDs? I thought they didn't like us, because we prevent them from doing their job."

"That's why they don't like Dallas, Johnny or I," Julie said with a sigh. "We stopped them from taking Paul."

"I can go," Christine piped up.

"... I don't think so. I don't think they'll be too happy seeing the people they brought up here. They just drop us here, they aren't hoping to see us again," Bobby pointed out.

"You're really getting annoying," Dallas muttered, cracking his knuckles in a bored manner.

"Don't do that," Bobby snapped. Dally raised an eyebrow and cracked them again, smirking at Bobby's wince.

"How can you do a good job if you're a fuckin' pussy? Toughen it up there, Bobby," Dallas said, clapping him hard on the shoulder. Bobby's knees nearly buckled and Dally laughed.

"Hey," Julie said, clapping her hands. "Focus!"

"Yeah, c'mon Dal, you wanna find her or not?" Johnny asked, putting a hand on his arm to stop him from grabbing Bobby and doing anything worse.

"I dunno... I guess so," Dallas said with a shrug, cracking his knuckles one last time.

"Maybe we should all go," Leann suggested, looking at everyone with wide eyes. "Yeah? I mean, that way if one of us messes up, we won't be alone with them."

"Or we could just outnumber 'em so they have to say yes."

"Oh, yeah, because we're all real scary," Julie said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure everyone in this section is afraid of you Jules, so I wouldn't be talkin'."

"I swear to-"

"Can we just... go?" Christine asked, her voice setting up a wall between the two fighters.

"Sure. But I expect something from you when we get back Dallas."

"Time and place, babe," Dally said with a smirk, Julie's glare intensifying as they all faded away

xxxx

"Yeah, because I'm in a real hurry to go back home."

"Tommy-"

"No, I'm sick of her. Naggin' at me all the time! Don't get me wrong, I respect her an' everythin', but she's gettin' on my nerves. I'll stay here as long as I want. I ain't botherin' anyone. These are your friends, they ain't gonna care if your kid stays at their house. It's not like I'm bummin' around outside and robbin' stores."

"I get that Tommy, but she's worryin' 'bout you and naggin' _me._"

"... Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Just tell her you found me and I'm safe with your friends. I'll come home when I want to. I ain't fightin' with her when I get back, 'cause then you get pissed off."

"Fine... but if I come back again, you're coming home."

"Deal... hey, ya know, there's another kid here too."

"Oh yeah? Darry leavin' the door open again?"

"Nope. From what I understan' she was _expected._"

"She?"

"Jennifer. Alice's daughter," Tommy said, smirking at his father's reaction.

"_Daughter_?"

"Yup. So... you gonna hang around?"

xxxx

Jennifer groaned, the effects of sleeping on a floor swooping in full force. It took her a moment to remember why she was sleeping on the floor in the first place and she wished she hadn't remembered once she did.

"Jennifer? You awake?"

"I think so."

"Good. Darry made breakfast. Kinda like when we were younger, cookin' for an entire army... anyway, said to ask you if you wanted something."

"I don't usually eat breakfast."

"That's gotta be against the law somewhere. No wonder you're so small! C'mon, you'll like it. Darry's pretty decent with cookin' and he ain't as moody as before, if you were wonderin'."

Jennifer looked up at Soda, blinking to keep her gaze in focus. He smiled.

"So?"

"... Do you do that to everyone?"

"Do what?"

"I bet you know what," Jennifer said, sitting up and pushing the blanket away. She felt weird, the clothes she had worn yesterday wrinkled. She tried her best to straighten them out. "Persuading people like that without them realizing it until later."

"I dunno... maybe. I don't think I notice... but it doesn't work on everyone, I know that."

"It didn't work on my mother."

"What?"

"You tried to convince her to stay here, but she refused and went home. Was that the first time it didn't work?"

Sodapop looked a bit upset again, but shook his head. "No... there have been other times that it hasn't worked. Do you want me to get your backpack? Do you have more clothes in there?"

"I think so. That'd be great, thank you," Jennifer said, slipping her bright green socks off as Soda nodded and turned to get her backpack from Alice's old room.

"Here," Soda said quietly, setting the bag carefully on the floor. Jennifer flopped forward on the floor and stretched her arm as far as it would go, grabbing the corner of the bag and dragging it toward her. Soda closed the door and turned as Steve walked down the hallway.

"What's all this about Alice's kid?"

Soda shrugged and tried to move around him, but Steve blocked his way. "I know somethin's up. Is it the person she married? Is that what's botherin' you? How old is that kid anyway?"

"Yes and 15."

"Only fifteen?"

"Born 1970, adopted not long after Alice left," Soda said, looking back at the door. He laughed. "Weird isn't it? If Alice had stayed longer..." he shook his head and smiled a bit. "It's fuckin' insane."

"So where's-"

"She's dead. Died this month. Pony said she was sick, like her father was, but I dunno... she didn't seem sick, did she?"

"...She was tired an awful lot Soda," Steve said carefully, watching his friend. Soda smiled again.

"Yeah, she was. She should have gone to the doctor or somethin'-"

"But she hated 'em. I know..." Steve said, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "C'mon, let's go eat somethin' huh?"

"Ya know, she looks a lot like Dallas," Soda said as they walked down the hall. "If she had been born earlier, I'd say she was his kid."

"Man, I can't imagine Dally havin' a little girl."

"Yeah, neither can I."

xxxx

Jennifer sighed and poked at her eggs, her hair pulled back in the messiest ponytail she had ever seen. She hadn't brought a hair brush with her. She really hated eating this early and just wanted to go back to sleep. It felt like she had only fallen asleep five minutes ago. Really, it was about an hour ago, but, it's all the same to the person who's sleep deprived.

She yawned and listened to Tommy talking to some other boys and laughing. She saw a football fly through the air as she glanced out the window. She hated eating this early. She shouldn't even be up this early.

"Soda?"

He looked up from his breakfast, but Steve, Tommy's father she found out, continued his trip to the kitchen sink and left the room.

"Do I really look like Dallas?"

Soda was used to Jennifer's sudden, and often uncomfortable, questions and statements by now, so he wasn't as surprised as he usually was.

"Kinda. Why?"

"I dunno. I was just wondering. Mom mentioned him a few times and I always wondered, 'who the heck was this guy?' She told me of course... I don't act like him do I?"

"Not unless you're carryin' around a pack of Kools and plannin' on slashin' someone's tires," Soda said with a smile.

"Nope," Jennifer said, biting into her toast. "But ya know, I still wonder about him. I didn't realize he was dead until yesterday."

"Yeah? She never told you he was dead?"

"She mentioned Angels... but she never said he was one. That was when I was younger. I didn't remember the name until yesterday either. I kinda thought she was makin' it up once I grew up... I was thinking about going home, by the way."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... I think I should go back... I mean, it's not that I want to. I'm kinda dreading it, but I can't just run away, right?"

"No, you shouldn't run away from anything like that. It don't do you no good... when did you wanna go back?"

"I was hoping today... I think I found out a little more than I wanted, actually."

"And your dad?"

"I'll deal with it, I guess. I'd ask you to stay with me once we get there, but that might be kinda awkward."

"It might," Soda agreed.

"Hey, Jennifer," Tommy said, jogging in with the football. "Do you know how to play football? One of our guys chickened out."

"There was probably a reason he dropped outta the game," Jennifer muttered. "I'm too tired Tommy. I was only asleep for an hour."

"It makes it exciting."

"C'mon Tommy, just play with uneven numbers. I used to do that all the time. Jennifer's gotta get ready to go."

"Go where?" Tommy asked, tossing the ball up and catching it.

"I'm taking her home."

Tommy held the ball tightly and looked at Jennifer, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah? Even with all that crap goin' on at home?"

"I gotta go back... I can't just leave them all behind. 'Sides, I think I can handle my dad. I'm smarter than him anyway," Jennifer said, standing up and pushing her chair in. "You want my breakfast? I don't feel like eating right now."

"No, that's alright..." Tommy said, shaking his head. Jennifer smiled and walked over to Tommy, hugging him.

"See ya later," Jennifer said, letting him go and walking back to grab her things.

"Yeah, you probably will," Tommy said with a shrug, before jogging back outside, the screen door slamming against the house.

xxxx

"I'll be back," Soda said, climbing into the car. Jennifer was sleeping on the back seat, so he left the radio off.

"Hey," Ponyboy said, leaning down to talk to Soda through the window. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. No one hates you up there, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. Ain't gonna make it any less awkward," Soda muttered, starting the car as Ponyboy stepped away. He tore away from the driveway and down the street, still a fast driver despite how long he had to outgrow that habit.

"You think he'll be able to handle it?" Steve asked as Ponyboy walked back to the house.

"Yeah. He was a tough kid and he's still tough today."

"Hey, dad, c'mon," Tommy said, running down the steps. "I'm gettin' hungry and I know there's gotta be dinner at home by now. But I ain't talkin' to her," he added quickly. Steve watched him climb into the car, a bit confused.

"I guess I'll see ya later, Pone. You goin' back to your house?"

"Yeah, I'll leave Darry alone for a bit. I think he was sick of all of us."

"I think so too. Didn't even say bye when he left for work," Steve said, digging his keys out of his pocket and walking to the car. Inside, Tommy had his feet resting on the dashboard, as he looked into the rearview mirror and admired how beat up he looked after playing football.

"If that ain't gonna freak her out, she's gettin' to used to this," Tommy muttered, messing his hair up a bit more.

xxxx

Jennifer dug in her backpack for her keys, sighing. Soda was leaning against his car, waiting patiently.

"There they are," Jennifer said happily, pulling out a mess of key chains and putting the key into the lock. She pushed the door open and tossed her backpack in, looking back at Soda.

"Well?"

"...Well what?"

"C'mon, no one's home and we didn't stop on the way, so you must be hungry or something... Please?"

Soda sighed and smiled. "Alright, fine."

Jennifer walked inside, seeming a lot more comfortable now that she was back in her own city and at her own house. Soda followed, cautiously, expecting to see a house like Alice's room back at home.

But it wasn't. It still had warm colors, like in the kitchen and the living warm, but there were still white walls, like the staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms. It looked like an average home. Jennifer was staring into the fridge, before she reached inside and pulled out a can of Pepsi.

She walked out of the kitchen, looking at everything carefully. A pretty large pile of mail was sitting on the coffee table, but she only glanced at it, her gaze wandering to a pair of shoes.

"Damn," Jennifer muttered, setting her can of soda on the table.

"Jennifer?"

"I lied, someone's home," Jennifer told Soda quietly. Soda's eyes widened slightly as Ronnie, a surprisingly clean cut looking man, walked down stairs and scooped his daughter in a hug.

"Hi dad."

Still holding his daughter, he stroked her hair and looked up at Soda.

"Hi Soda."

"Ronnie... when did you get so..." Soda faltered, looking for the right words. Ronnie smiled and Jennifer made a face, probably sick of being held for so long.

"Re-hab."

"What?" Jennifer said, shocked. "_That's _why you were gone? Mom said-"

"Your mom said a lot of things Jen. I told her I was going to re-hab and she didn't believe me... and apparently you don't either."

Jennifer frowned. She didn't know what he was doing, or was trying to do.

"You can call the place if you want. I still got the number," he said, letting her go and looking at her.

"... You were gone for a _very _long time. You weren't in re-hab that long. I know that."

"No, I wasn't. I couldn't really handle everything that was goin' on, between havin' a little girl running around the house, your mother and my job... I ran away from that. I'm sorry I did, I really am. Your uncle told me Alice had died when I got back. But he wouldn't tell me where you were," Ronnie said, pausing and looking at Soda and Jennifer.

"That's why you were calling so many people. It scared you, didn't it? Not knowing where the last of your family was," Soda said, remembering how about twenty years ago, he hadn't known where his brother and his friend had gone. He and Darry both had been terrified that they would never see them again.

"You were worried?" Jennifer asked, surprised.

"Of course I was worried. You're still my little girl..." Ronnie said, trailing off and putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"...I still don't trust you."

"I know. I have to earn that. I wasn't expecting you to just throw it at me."

"... You don't know what I like."

"I can learn."

"Do you even know how old I am?"

"You'll be sixteen soon."

"I can't cook."

"Then we can both learn."

"You aren't giving up this time are you?"

"Nope."

"...That's good," Jennifer said with a smile. "That's definitely a start."

* * *

_Yeah, this is actually gonna be one of my shorter stories. Oooh, I bet you're all wondering what those sneaky Guardians are up to. I'm not, I know what they're doing and all of my smart readers will probably figure it out themselves. But, even if you don't I'll spell it out for you soon enough._


	8. Chapter 8

_This went through heavy editing, but I'm still not sure I like it. In other news, I'm a nervous wreck. : )**

* * *

** _

_**Blindfolded**_

_Eight_

"Oh come on, Tommy," Christine said, pouting and leaning forward, playing with the older boy's hair. He seemed to be uninterested. "Just this one little favor. We'll leave you alone after this."

"Why couldn't you bother Virginia?" Tommy asked, his voice on the edge of monotone. He was a very attractive person. Most of the AoD's were. It was how people wanted them to be. But he was lacking in the personality area.

"Why would we bother Virginia? She isn't half as good as you are. I mean, you've been here so much longer, you deserve more thought than she does."

Tommy looked down at Christine, who was trying her best to call back her skills she had once had back on Earth. He looked back at the large book behind him, bound in a darker leather than the book in the Guardian section was.

While the book the Guardians used showed who was alive and where they were, the book of the AoD's showed who had died and where they were supposed to go or be.

Tommy sighed and turned, Christine clapping her hands and laughing as he walked to the book. Tommy was the third AoD they had tried. Leann had tried her best to convince Virginia, a beautiful but older woman who was more strict than half of their teachers and principals put together.

Julie had tried convincing Ruth, the youngest AoD at fifteen years old, but Ruth took one look at her and said no. Turns out she was the one that was supposed to get Paul the day that she, Johnny and Dallas had saved him.

Bobby and Johnny had tried to double-team Kenneth, one of the few AoD's with a personality, but he told them to fuck off and disappeared.

"She's already in heaven. Virginia brought her there. I can go and get her, but it may cause some problems. She's still going through processing. Probably doesn't even have her place yet."

"Oh..." Christine said sadly. She was distracted for a moment however, as one of Tommy's wings momentarily flared out, probably from him stretching it. Guardian Angels had wings, but they were smaller and almost translucent. Tommy watched her carefully, probably noting her own small wings.

"Why are you doing this?" Tommy asked suddenly.

"Well... we want to see someone again."

"That's all? There's no other admirable reason?"

"Well, not really."

"... I'll go get her, but she can't stay long. When I say she has to go, she has to go. Understand?"

"Yes!"

xxxx

"Lillian, can I talk you?" Jennifer asked, peeking into her cousin's bedroom. Lillian looked up from her book, surprised, but she nodded and set the book aside.

"Sure Jen."

Jennifer sighed and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the desk and white wicker chair and sat down. "I've been... experiencing weird things."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well... you know all of those psychics and stuff, that tell you that they can talk to the dead and stuff? And then all those weirdos that say they see ghosts or things that have already happened?"

"Yeah," Lillian said carefully, guessing what her cousin was getting too, but not saying anything.

"I'm one of those weirdos."

"Nice try Jen."

"I'm serious!" Jennifer cried angrily. "I'm seeing things that I don't want to be seeing! I can't look out on the street without seeing someone dying! I even hear people dying! Why the hell would I lie about something like this?"

"I-I just thought... I mean, you have a history for telling ghost stories Jen..." Lillian said, concern on her face. "Look, when did it start."

"...A few days ago. Maybe two or three."

"And you have no idea why?"

"Oh, no, I have an idea about why it's happening, but I just needed to tell someone. It's hard, ya know? Like... I mean, I keep seeing all of this bad stuff. It's not always people dying. Sometimes it's people that were lost, like little kids. I tried helping one until people were giving me weird looks. That's when I realized she hadn't really been there.

"She had already gotten lost a long time ago. Maybe even died..." Jennifer explained.

"And... you said you know why it's happening?" Lillian asked. "Maybe we can get rid of it."

"Well, I dunno... I mean-"

"Why is it happening?"

"You'd never believe me."

"Try me."

"I know you won't."

"Well, think of something to prove it to me."

Jennifer sat for a moment, leaning back in the uncomfortable wicker chair as her cousin waited patiently on her bed. Finally, Jennifer pulled off the necklace she was wearing.

"Don't scream, okay?"

"...Okay."

xxxx

Johnny watched as Christine sighed loudly and laid down on the grass, covering her eyes with her arm.

"What's taking so long?" Julie asked impatiently. Dallas glanced at her and tossed another cigarette on the ground. Johnny counted that as the fifth one.

"Dunno. Maybe good ol' Thomas got held up."

"Or he had to get someone else," Leann suggested. "That could take-"

"A very long time. Which is why we should just go do our jobs," Bobby said, trying again in vain to get them to give up.

"Don't got one," the five others chorused.

"What? How can you expect to keep your place here if you don't do your jobs? At this rate, you'll be losing points, maybe even going into negatives and then you'll never get into heaven and-"

"So, I'm gonna go to Hell? Hey, Johnny, you owe me five bucks," Dallas said pointing to Johnny with a smirk on his face. Johnny grinned and hit him in the arm.

"This isn't a joke Dallas," Bobby said, a bit upset.

"Yeah? You should be more worried about yourself there, Bobby boy. From what I heard, you've actually _killed _people."

Bobby glared at him, the color draining from his face momentarily.

"The only similarity 'tween you and me is the fact that we both caused our own deaths. It ain't gettin' any better than that. You're still workin' 'cause you have to. Hell, you'll be workin' longer than I ever would. And if I'm right, we've all worked off our debts," Dallas said, moving his finger in a circular motion to include the four laying around. "We're here 'cause we chose to be."

"Dallas-"

"Bobby... don't," Leann said, rolling over onto her stomach on her place on the ground. "He's like that to everyone. Once he finds out somethin' he'll use it."

"Yeah, he called me a retard for falling off a cliff," Julie said disdainfully.

"That _is _retarded though," Dallas said, trying to convince the others.

"Yeah? So is pullin' a gun on the cops, ya jack ass," Julie snapped. Dallas frowned and pulled out another cigarette. Christine snorted, her grin clearly visible and her eyes still covered.

"Shut up Chrissy."

"I'm not-" But Christine stopped herself.

"Hey, that Tommy?" Johnny asked, squinting at the far side of the field.

"I dunno, is he holding someone's hand? Those AoD's are always doin' that," Dallas muttered, lighting the cigarette and placing it between his lips.

"No, I don't think so."

"Then it ain't him."

"I heard that Dallas and we are not always holding someone's hand," Tommy said bitterly, glaring down at him. "I have done your favor, the least you could do is be courteous."

"Yeah? I don't see the favor," Dallas said, flicking the ashes of his cigarette on the ground.

"That's because she insisted on hiding," Tommy said, rolling her eyes. "I'm afraid she's a bit... unlike herself. She's not all the way here. She may act like a child."

"You mean more than before."

Tommy sighed. "Yes, Dallas, more than before."

Giggling. Lots of giggling. And a girl was peeking around Tommy's wing a moment later, before disappearing and giggling again.

"A lot more. It seems I caught her at the beginning of her transition. She may not even remember who you are. The memories take a while, since, once in heaven, you have to understand your life, you have to understand your memories too. Whether she reached the memories of you are doubtful.

"Well, we'll see won't we, if she'd come out."

Tommy frowned and stepped to the side, but she followed. A few more tries of this and Tommy finally turned around and dragged the girl out from behind him.

"That's no fair," she pouted.

Dallas however nearly choked on his cigarette. The girl in front of him was only about ten years old.

"Are you sure that's her?"

"I'm positive. Go ahead Alice, tell him what you told me."

"Hi! My name is Alice Lilian Tate and I'm eight years old," she said, holding up eight fingers. "I live in Chicago, Illinois with my brother, mom and dad at 217 North Briar Street It's a house with a red door. My favorite color is green and I wish I had a dog," she finished with a grin. "I got an A on that."

"...Are you serious? You caught her when she was eight years old?"

"Well, since her death wasn't sudden as all of yours were... she has time to get settled in and remember things... when they are still fresh in her mind," Tommy explained. "The transition shouldn't take to long. She may even be going through it as I'm speaking, but... who knows."

"I can not believe it... that's the girl I went drinking with?" Julie asked, looking at the young Alice in disbelief.

"What's your name?" Alice asked suddenly.

"Er... Alice, I'm Julie, remember?"

"Nope."

Dallas sighed and tossed his cigarette away, before walking over to Alice. He looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"Do you even know where you are?"

"I'm dead."

"Well, she knows more than her name and address at least," Christine said, looking at Alice with a smile. "I remember when she rattled that off to the class. _Everyone _got an A on that."

Dallas kneeled down and looked Alice in the eye and she patiently looked back at him, interest evident in her eyes. Tommy took a few steps back, taking note of the fact that he really didn't belong there.

"So you forgot about me already huh?"

"I guess so."

"You remember this?" Dally asked, reaching into his shirt and pulling out his St. Christopher medal.

"Dallas," Tommy warned. "You don't want to spur her memories out of order."

"The hell I do," Dally muttered, holding it up for Alice to see. Alice carefully held it in the palm of her hand, studying it.

"That's St. Christopher... my brother and I had one..." Alice said quietly. Dally could see the transition already, the slow change from her eight year old body to the next one. She stared at it for a while longer, before a look of realization crossed her face.

"Dallas."

The others backed up as a faint crackling could be heard, the hairs on their arms standing up.

"Dallas, I'm only going to warn you once more, if you do this, she won't be able to rest."

"Dally, maybe you should listen to Tommy," Leann said, as Alice herself became translucent. "We should wait."

"You kept your promise," Alice said with a smile, her body changing rapidly. When it finally finished changing, a sixteen year old Alice was kneeling on the ground in front of Dally, holding the necklace. "I can't believe it... twenty years and you kept your promise."

"Hey, so did you," Dally pointed out as Alice leaned forward and hugged him.

She sighed, happily. "It's nice... to be able to feel someone else again," she said wistfully, her fingers running through his hair. "It feels like forever since you've made human contact, once you've died..."

xxxx

Lillian sat on the bed, waiting, though her patience was leading to annoyance.

"What the hell do you want this time?"

Lillian squeaked, covering her mouth and nearly falling off the bed. A tall, angry looking boy with bright blonde hair was standing on the side of her bed, glaring down at Jennifer.

"Lillian; Dallas, the Guardian Angel. Dallas; Lillian, my cousin."

Dallas looked over at her and nodded, before looking back at Jennifer. "Is there any other pointless thing you wanted? I was talkin' to someone I hadn't seen in a while when you called."

"I need you to explain what's happening to me."

"How is that important?"

"Dally. Please."

"Fine, but you ain't gonna get it."

xxxx

'_Dallas was right. I didn't get it and neither did Lillian, but at least she believes me now. After he left, she looked at me, her eyes wide and said, 'Holy shit...' I laughed. She really isn't one to swear. Her mom kind of frowns on it. _

'_She brought up, like so many other people did, that I looked a bit like Dallas. I just rolled my eyes and walked out of her room. I didn't really need to hear that at the moment.'_


	9. Chapter 9

_I kinda had to take a step back and regain focus back on the story I had in mind and not spinning off into an entirely different story concerning Jennifer's new problem. It took a bit of effort, but I'm more or less there again.**

* * *

** _

**Blindfolded**

_Nine_

"Whaddya mean you can't take her back? You're a fuckin' AoD, you can do anything. You guys brag about it all the time!"

"First things first, Dallas. I do not _brag_ about anything. Kenneth brags, and from time to time, so does Ruth and a few others. But I can assure you, the rest of us aren't bragging about anything. And I can't bring her back because you didn't listen. You set her forward to fast," Tommy explained, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sixteen year old Alice was sitting with Leann and Julie, talking about one thing or another. Bobby had left, having to do his job, which they had teased him for. Johnny didn't want to take part in the conversation.

"So now what?"

"She'll have to get in the way you would."

"Really? Alice, c'mere!"

"Why?"

"Just c'mere! Damn," Dallas muttered as Alice stood up and walked over. "Tommy's got some things to tell ya."

"Well, I think I would have been happier if he had called me over," Alice muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at Dallas.

"Alice, I'm afraid I can't take you back."

"What do you mean? You mean back to Heaven? Why?"

"I warned Dallas that spurring your memories too soon and out of order would cause problems. I'm afraid that the process was thrown off and, rather effectively, neutralized."

"So this bastard threw off my chance for eternal happiness?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes. If you want to get through, you'd have to complete a term of service."

"...Do you ever stop talking like that?"

"Like what, Dallas?"

"Like you aren't nineteen years old."

"Technically, I'm not. At this point, I'm old enough to be your father."

"Yeah, just how old are you?"

Tommy paused, thinking. "Fifty-four."

Dally snorted.

"I'd be quiet Dallas, you're growing old too."

"Uhm, hello? Did we forget we have a problem?" Alice asked, raising a hand and waving it. Tommy looked away from Dallas, a smile on his face.

"I..." Tommy paused, sighing. "No, I didn't forget. If you wanna get to Heaven, you'll have to be a Guardian. For how long, I dunno know. If you'd rather me try to get you back in, I could, but... we may both be in trouble for that one."

"Seriously? I can be a Guardian Angel? That sounds fun!"

"The job isn't as bad as an AoD..." Tommy said, more to himself than to Alice.

"I'll do it!" Alice said with a grin.

xxxx

"Jen! C'mon, you wanna eat before you go to school?"

"I hate breakfast," Jennifer said, her pillow muffling her voice.

"I'm kinda tired of finding food in your back pack Jen."

"That was once."

"Two times. You've gone to school two times. I'm seeing a connection."

"Alright, so I forgot about it," Jennifer muttered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She grabbed a pair of jeans off of the floor, the clean pair she had set on her chair last night, but had knocked over and not bothered to pick up.

She pulled them on and walked to her dresser, digging out a pair of socks and pulling those on next. The next step was her closet and the last stop of the morning was the bathroom, where she kept her hair brush and other such things, since she didn't have a mirror in her room.

She walked into the kitchen, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. It had been a month since she'd run off to Tulsa and she'd been getting anxious as September set in. Her birthday was getting closer and once again, she was moving up in the High School Food Chain as she walked even further away from her Freshman year.

'_I wasn't worried about the normal, 'Oh my God, September!' stuff. Ya know, teachers, friends, boys._

'_Nope, this school year held an even more worrisome topic. My sixteenth birthday and my Dad. How do those go together in anyway, you may ask? Well, consider it his first exam. His challenge? Remember his daughter's birthday. _

'_I had already called all of those that do know my birthday and warned them not too mention it around him. And if he asked, they would call me and let me know. If he can't remember my birthday, I don't know how I'm going to handle living with him. _

'_I mean, he was around for a few birthdays. And I know **his. **It's November 18th, if you want proof of that._

'_Hell, I think even Ponyboy and Soda know my birthday. So if he doesn't, I'm gonna raise a tiny fuss. Or I'll ask my friends to help me make a movie. "Sixteen Candles: The Real Deal", or something stupid like that.'_

"Is that the elusive journal I've heard so much about?" Ronnie asked, watching Jennifer scribble in it as she ate some toast. She nodded.

"You've had that thing for awhile haven't you?"

Jennifer paused, looking up from her writing, surprised that he even knew that. "Yeah, I have."

"It's a miracle it hasn't fallen apart. Let me know when you need a new one."

"Yeah... sure thing," Jennifer said, closing her journal and eating the rest of her breakfast. "Ya know, I'm gonna be able to drive soon."

"...Yeah."

"And I was... ya know... wondering, 'cause Mom said she would-"

"Your mother was going to teach you how to drive?" Ronnie asked with a grin. "You would have gotten your license suspended the first week."

"I know she was bad, but Uncle Paul said he'd rather not have me on the road at all and offered to buy me a new bike with a basket on the back instead."

"I see," Ronnie said, leaning back in his chair. "So you want early driving lessons."

"...Well, yeah."

"If you buy both of us helmets it's a deal."

Jennifer snorted, pulling on her shoes and standing up from the table. "Sure thing. I'll save up the money."

xxxx

'_Apparently, I had one more thing to worry about. Sympathy. Heaping piles of sympathy. Good news! Things still get around the entire school in less than three minutes._

'_Even Eileen, the lunch lady knew. And it wasn't even lunch yet! It was only second hour!'_

"Jennifer I'm really-"

"Whoa there," Dawn, one of Jennifer's oldest friends said, stepping in front of Jennifer to protect her from the sympathy of Janet, a girl that usually got on both of their nerves.

"I'll take a message," Dawn said. Jennifer smirked and continued writing in her journal. Janet frowned and glared at Dawn.

"She's sitting right there."

"Uh, Yeah... no she isn't," Dawn said, nudging Jennifer's arm. Jennifer rolled her eyes, but gathered up her journal and walked away. "I'll take a message for you."

'_I'm very grateful for friends like Dawn, but I don't know if I can tell her what's been going on with me just yet. It's still been happening, don't get me wrong. Still hearing and seeing deaths and I've already seen one in the school. _

'_It's unsettling, sure, but until I'm threatened by it, or at least until I can explain it, I think I'll keep it quiet.'_

xxxx

Jennifer sighed, sitting on the rocks that surrounded the small garden of different bushes near the side of the school. Waiting with her were numerous other students, looking for that familiar car.

By the time the last kid, a boy that she had never seen before and guessed was probably a freshmen, climbed into his father's fancy car, Jennifer was just a bit annoyed. She rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky, enjoying the mild weather of September and trying to forget the fact that someone should have swung by to pick her up by now.

"_Natalie?"_

Jennifer looked at the boy standing in front of her and froze. She remembered the times she had read, "blood ran cold" in books and now realized they were probably lying. She could feel her blood rushing through her, and it felt rather warm, thank you very much.

"No... go away," Jennifer said, trying to keep her voice steady. It was kind of hard, given the circumstances. The kid looked like he had been mauled by a dog, run over by a car once, then thrown into a creek. Obediently, the boy disappeared and Jennifer released the breath that had been caught in her throat.

Not long after, Ronnie finally decided to pull up.

"Sorry Jen. I'm still getting into the swing of things," he apologized as she climbed into the car. "You look kinda sick... were you feeling okay this morning?"

"Yeah, probably those school lunches or something. Don't worry about it."

Ronnie didn't say a thing.

xxxx

'_Alright, so he's not used to the whole nagging parent thing. But it would have been nice if he had at least tried to start a conversation! That had to be the longest, most awkward car ride of my life! I mean, the ride with Sodapop may be a close second, but I was groggy and in a bad mood. _

'_I was in a relatively good mood today, actually, but that stupid boy who thought I was Natalie totally killed that. I really need to find a way to deal with this..._

'_... That Matt kid was pretty cute... I should talk to him sometime.'_

xxxx

"Hey, Bobby, you're the only person who's never mentioned where they lived," Alice said, leaning back and picking at a blade of grass. Bobby frowned and took extreme interest in a blade of grass himself.

"Oh, come on Bobby, it won't hurt to tell us. You can't just keep to yourself the entire time we're here," Leann said, patting the boy's knee.

"I lived in North Dakota."

"Yeah? Never been there before," Julie muttered, her head resting on Dallas's legs. Dallas himself was leaning against a rock.

"Yeah, 'cause you're an experienced traveler," Dallas said, glancing up at the sky. Night was falling "Up There", a rare event considering that time passed slowly there.

"Actually," Julie said, reaching up and fingering the collar of his jacket. "I've been to most of the states in the U.S. So take that Mr. I Don't Get Around Much."

"Yeah, too bad you didn't come home last time," Dally drawled. Julie just frowned.

"I don't get it Julie, how'd you fall off that cliff anyway?" Leann asked, playing with the hem of her skirt. Julie sighed and looked away from Dallas, her hand dropping from his jacket collar.

"I stood too close to the edge. The ground I was on wasn't stable and I fell."

"...That's it?" Dallas asked, looking down at her. "C'mon, I was just gettin' interested."

"Yeah, I fell thirty feet, hit a ledge, rolled and skidded and slid and finally stopped, neck, arm, leg and wrist broken. I was a bloody mess, happy?"

Dallas snorted. "Way to kill the mood Jules."

xxxx

Jennifer considered herself lucky. Her birthday fell on a Saturday this year and she was more than happy to sleep in and enjoy the rest.

Of course, no one else seem to be thinking the same thing when the phone rang. Growling, Jennifer grabbed the phone from her night stand.

"Hello?"

"Happy Birthday."

Jennifer blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Wait... Soda?"

"Yup. Were you still sleeping?"

"Of course I was."

"How are things with your Dad?"

"Uhm, not so good."

"Why?"

"I mentioned Dallas yesterday, ya know, in an off handed way and he exploded on me, yellin' and swearin'. He stormed outta the house."

"I wonder why..."

"I dunno, but it didn't really help the relationship."

"I can't see how it would."

"Ya know, Dallas has a habit of just... fucking everything up."

Soda laughed. "Yeah, he did have that habit sometimes, whether it was intentional or not. I hope your birthday is better though."

"Yeah, so do I..."

* * *

_Bleh._


	10. Chapter 10

_Evil? Maybe, I mean, I took FOREVER on this one. And once again, I ain't that proud of it. I started this a day ago and got halfway through at like 12 in the morning and finished today... watching Fresh Prince deal with Juggles the clown. xD_

_**Anyway**, enjoy it. 'Cause I'm gonna try and draw this to a close soon. **

* * *

**_

**Blindfolded**

_Ten_

_When I finally stumbled out of my room, rubbing the sleep away and pulling on my favorite pair of socks, the house was silent and empty. Did I panic? A little. Did I run back to my room? Yes. Did I cry? A lot. _

_Not because I was scared my father had (once again) left me, but because the awful pain of knowing she was gone came back. Sure, I had learned some things that may have made me think differently about my mother, but that doesn't mean that I can just... get over the fact that she's dead. And I'm afraid to just deny it too. I might go insane or something if I do that. _

_She didn't get the chance to see my sixteenth birthday... she wouldn't have to deal with me driving around town, worrying about homecoming this year... She wouldn't have to worry about prom either. Lucky her. _

_But what a way to spend your 'Sweet Sixteen'. _

xxxx

Jennifer tried for the second time to leave her room, red eyed and sniffling. The house was still empty, but at least she was expecting it this time. She walked around the house for a bit, her fingers of her right hand against the wall as she walked. She could feel everything that had happened, the emotions that were left there.

It didn't help her mood much, but she didn't start crying again, which was a plus for her.

After walking through the entire house, she looped back and stopped outside the one room she hadn't stepped foot in more than four times in her life. It was an extra room that her mother had used for painting or to just hide away.

She stood outside the door to that room for a long time, before grabbing the door knob and turning it. The static she felt run up her arm should have been a warning not to open the door, but she didn't realize it until she had pushed the door open and the transparent picture slipped over her eyes again.

Jennifer stood rooted to the spot,listening to the music from her mother's radio as she watched her paint. What ever she was painting, she couldn't see. The easel was turned so it was facing the left wall of the room, if you were standing in the doorway that is.

She seemed to be absorbed in it though. It took Jennifer awhile to gather the will to walk towards her, to steal a peek at the picture. Her stomach twisted. For some reason the picture, despite it's beauty, made her feel sick.

She watched as her mother added tiny details to the picture, a man with angel wings and a woman with a mass of dark hair holding each other, against a gray background. They weren't looking at the artist and her daughter, rather, the woman's face was hidden, and the man's gaze was focused on the top of the womanl's head. All the viewers were granted with was a view of the man's profile, his wings, which seemed to be bloody now that Jennifer thought about it, and a woman's messy hair.

Her mother never looked up and when she reached for a different brush, she never came in contact with Jennifer's arm, or any other part of her for that matter. Jennifer shivered. She'd have to get used to the fact that not everything she'd see would talk to, or notice her.

Jennifer glanced back at the door, which was closed, and felt as if she were seeing something she wasn't supposed to be seeing. She was about to try and leave when the door opened. She watched in confusion as her father stood in the doorway, watching her mother, who at this point had stopped painting.

"_Alice..." _Ronny said, his voice stern. _"You can't hide in here forever."_

"_I'm not hiding Ron," _Alice said cooly, picking up her paintbrush again. _"I'm simply enjoying some time to myself."_

"_Time to yourself, huh?" _

Jennifer watched with a sort of fascination as her father walked in the room, making a bee line for her mother and her painting. Again, Alice stopped, but her eyes were focused on the painting and the painting alone.

And Jennifer watched as Ronny, glaring at the picture, said the hushed words of, _"Who is he, huh? Who is he that you'd be this obsessed with him?" _

"_I'm not obsessed with anyone, Ron."_

"_He's all I ever see Alice! He's everywhere! In every painting, in every sketch. You write about him too. You never mention his name but I know they're the same."_

"_You shouldn't be going through my things."_

"_Alice... you're going to destroy this family, the only family that that little girl's had-" _Jennifer watched as he pointed in the direction across the hall. Her room. _"For some man that you're chasin' after? You're just going to keep leading me on like this? I don't know if you realized it Alice, but it ain't the best feelin' in the world knowin' the woman you married ain't interested in you." _

"_I never said I wasn't interested in you."_

"_You don't have to Alice. You've never had to say a damn word. You can tell by the way you act around me, the way you look at me... you don't care. As far as you're concerned, I'm just here so you can adopt a child, is that it?"_

"_Ron-"_

"_Just tell me who he is. A name."_

"_No. Ron, you're being ridiculous."_

"_Alice, you look at that man with more love than you could ever have for me in your entire life. I'm not being ridiculous. You're being ridiculous for dragging this out. Is he at least real Alice? At least let me know I'm not losin' you to some painting."_

"_He's real..."_

"_Then why didn't you marry him? If it's what you wanted, why didn't you?"_

"_I couldn't. I just... Ron, I do like you-"_

"_Yeah, you like me fine and well. You like me as much as you did Soda, right? You did the same thing to him, didn't you? Lead him along like this?"_

"_I didn't lead him along!" _

"_That's bullshit Alice and you know it! You must've realized it at some point, what you were doin'. You're aware of what's goin' on, I know that. But denying everything now is a waste of time. What if Jennifer catches on, huh? She's not stupid Alice, she'll figure out that something isn't right. She'll start asking questions. And what are you gonna tell her then, huh? That you're in love with some other man? That her father doesn't mean a God damn thing to you? Who is the lucky bastard, huh?"_

Alice gazed fondly at the picture. _"He's my angel... and that's more than I could ever say for you. If you want me to leave you, I will, but if you really care that much about Jennifer, you'll drop this." _

"_Drop it?" _Ronny asked in disbelief. _"You just expect me to forget it?" _He yelled. Jennifer marveled at how she never heard any of this going on. She must not have been home. She watched, with a surprising calm, as Ron picked up the canvas; as her mother started yelling and as he smashed the painting against the cabinet that held every art supply Alice ever owned.

It fell quiet then, except for her father's heavy breathing. They were both staring at the ruined canvas in disbelief, until Ronny dropped it on the floor and left the room. She listened as the front door opened and slammed shut and watched as her mother gently picked up the ruined painting and set it on a table. She looked at it sadly, her finger's touching the paint and smearing it even more.

It wasn't until then that Jennifer noticed the part that Alice had been working on, the paint turning her fingers a white-yellow. The man's hair, which caught the light and nearly blinded her. The same white-blonde that had nearly blinded her when it caught the sunlight almost a month ago.

The scene faded away and Jennifer was left alone in a dusty room of canvases and paints. She ran from the room and slammed the door shut, as if to lock the memory in there forever. As if it wouldn't follow her out and make her realize what she had been guessing all along.

Her mother had fallen in love with someone who couldn't love her back; someone that she couldn't replace. She had managed to fall in love with Dallas Winston.

xxxx

"It was her fault," Jennifer said quietly on the phone.

"What? Jennifer?"

"This whole time I've been mad at my father... and it was her fault."

" I don't know what you're talking about, hon."

"My dad... my mom... my entire fucking life..." Jennifer said. She wasn't sure why she wasn't crying. She wanted to, almost desperately, but she couldn't.

"It's Jen... I don't know, I don't have a clue what she's talkin' about yet."

Jennifer listened to the hushed voices on the other line. "She was in love with him the entire time."

"In love with who?"

"Dallas."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line except for a muffled 'What's goin' on?' and 'What'd she say? Soda?'

"What?"

"She was in love with Dallas."

"Jennifer... I don't think-"

"What, you think I'm lying? That I'm telling myself this to make myself feel better? 'Cause it's definitely helpin' my mood!"

"How do you know?"

Jennifer faltered. How could she explain that? "I read it in her journal. I found it in the extra room that she painted in and, ya know, I was curious and..." she sighed. "Look, I saw it happen okay?"

"Saw what happen?"

"I walked into her room and... it was like all those bogus psychics say, when they see the scene playing out in front of them? And she was painting and Dad came in and started going on about the man in the picture and they argued and he broke the canvas and... the man in the picture looked just like Dallas, Soda. I swear it."

"Jennifer, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm not sick! I'm not like my mother! I'm perfectly fine and I saw what I saw!"

"Alright... just calm down. You're sure?"

"Soda... I've been seeing stuff like this all _month_. How else do you think I knew about the last time you and my mother actually spoke to each other? That someone actually told me? You were like the fuckin' plague in my house," Jennifer said flatly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine. She was like the plague here too..." Soda said quietly. "Funny how quickly your feelings for a person change, huh?"

"If you find that funny, sure," Jennifer muttered.

"Alright, I get it, you ain't in the mood for stuff like that. You gonna be okay?"

"...I dunno. Maybe."

"I could tell you a funny story."

"Uhm... are you sure it's actually funny?"

"Oh, ye of little faith," Soda said. Jennifer could hear the smile in his voice. She sighed and sat down on her bed.

"Alright. Give it a shot."

xxxx

Jennifer was still laying on her bed, listening to Soda's story with a grin on her face when Ronny peeked in her room.

"Who're you talking too?"

Jennifer jumped and looked up at the door, her smile falling away. "Soda. He's the only one that seemed to give a shit about my birthday, thanks."

"C'mon Jen, don't be like that. Not today. Look... you wanted those driving lessons, right?"

"Yeah," Jennifer said slowly. Soda had fallen silent for the moment.

"Hurry up then. Might even let you drive somewhere for lunch."

"...Alright, just a second then. Soda? I gotta go. Remember where you left off, okay?"

"Alright. Hey, don't run anyone over."

"I won't, promise."

xxxx

'_I'm an awful driver and I think Dad nearly had a heart attack about twenty times, but I didn't kill a single person or crash into anything, so I think he should be proud. Whether he drives with me again is a whole 'nother question. _

'_Ya know, I saw another person while I was practicing. At first, I thought I had run them over, but when Dad didn't say anything, I figured it out. What they were doing standing around in front of the car, I didn't know. And I really didn't want to either. _

'_Anyway, Dad drove to lunch, where all the lovely people that remembered my birthday were waiting. I begged them not to sing, but they did anyway. Such loving family and friends.'_

_

* * *

Wow. Can't concentrate with a bomb weilding clown on TV... have fun._


	11. Chapter 11

_This chapter was brought on by a deal. If I posted a chapter of Blindfolded, Artemis would post a chapter of The Unfound. Sad, I know. So, I tried super hard with this one... and I'll be bringing on the end of the school year and this story. Soon... I think. I don't know. Whaaa... I really hope this chapter is enjoyed.**

* * *

** _

**Blindfolded**

_Eleven_

Lilian watched her cousin tap her pencil on the paper, her head bobbing in time to the music she was listening to on her walkman. She'd been laying on the floor like that for awhile.

"Hey, Jen?"

Nothing.

"Jen!"

"What?" Jennifer asked, rolling over and pulling her head phones off. Lilian pointed to the video camera in her hand.

"I've been recording you laying there for long enough-"

"You recorded that? Put some awesome music over all of this and take out the original audio and it might make a nice sentimental video if I die."

"You're supposed to be helping me with my project."

"Whaddya want me to do?"

"I have questions you can answer for me."

"Like math questions?"

"No! Interview questions."

"Ah. Go ahead, shoot," Jennifer said with a smile, sitting up. Lilian watched her for a moment. Her headphones around her neck, her blonde hair in a messy ponytail, and a hoodie and sweat pants on... she was suprised Jennifer was allowing her to do this.

"They're gonna be kinda personal."

"I think I can handle it."

"Alright. This is supposed to raise awareness about stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well, there are alot of misconceptions about adopted children because of Hollywood and stuff. What was it like for you to be adopted?"

"It's strange. I was put up for adoption when I was about... oh, I dunno, five, what ever, who cares. I was young enough that I didn't understand what was going on. I can't remember my birth mother, but, again, who cares. I have a new family and they're kinda cool. Sometimes."

"Gee, thanks. Did you ever wonder about what might have happened if you hadn't been put up for adoption?"

"Of course I did. I mean, who wouldn't? But I didn't get all angry and emotional about it. I was realitively happy. I grew up like any normal kid and I'm going through a normal teenage life. Being adopted didn't change that."

"And what about your mom? Did you ever wonder what caught her eye about you?"

"...Yeah," I did, Jennifer said slowly, staring at the camera. Lilian was worried she had asked a bad question, until Jennifer continued. "But I think I know why. I reminded her of someone she loved very much and she wanted to give me the chance that they didn't."

"...So Jen, what're you listening to?"

"Elvis, surprisngly enough," Jennifer said with a grin, holding up her walkman and waving it in front of the camera. "And I'm getting hungry, so you can come back to me later. Muah," Jennifer laughed, kissing the lens of the camera and walking away.

xxxx

Jennifer sat in the middle of Alice's old 'Get away from it all' room, trying her best to clean everything up and get it in some kind of order. She didn't want to just leave it a dusty mess. She had been getting used to seeing dead people walking around, and even seeing events was becoming everyday.

She just wished that she had someone besides Lilian to talk about it with. She'd complained to Dallas a few times and he'd snap back at her and leave, so that was proving kind of pointless.

"Why is there so much... paint... of the same color?" Jennifer muttered to herself as she tossed the paints into newly color coded boxes.

_"They aren't **all **the same. That red is obviously lighter than the other ones." _

Jennifer nearly cracked her neck she looked up so fast.

_"So... I hear you know how everything happened. And that you've been seeing some dead people wandering around."_

"...Uh... yeah, I have."

_"Oh, yeah, Happy Be-lated Birthday! Sorry I couldn't make it. I tried, really, but, I have to watch over some people and it got a little busy... You were always so obsessive about things like this," _Alice said, sitting on the floor and picking up a box of blues. _"But you could never find any of your own things. I never got that."_

"...Why are you here?"

_"Guardian Angel. Dallas kind of messed up again and I have to work to get into heaven now. The bastard. The only perk is that I'm sixteen again... he was worried I wouldn't remember you on my own, so he spurred my memory. Told me to come here." _

"He seems to fuck everything up," Jennifer muttered, throwing a yellow into a box.

_"He has a habit of doing those things on accident. Trust me though, if you really need help, he'll help. You might not realize it right away, but he helps."_

"But you didn't get better."

_"No... I didn't," _Alice said, smiling serenely and picking up a shade of green. _"But he tried. He really did."_

"Is that why you fell in love with him?"

Alice was silent for a moment, seperating more colors. Jennifer watched her, taking in her long hair and the yellow ribbon. How pretty she was. _"I don't know why I fell in love with that boy. But I did... and it's harder to fall out of love with someone like him, believe me." _

"It ruined everything..." Jennifer said, glaring at the purple paint in her hands. Alice sighed and left the paint alone, studying her daughter.

_"That's true... I wish it hadn't. I tried my best but... I guess my best didn't cut it in this case. You probably hate both of us now."_

"I don't hate you..." Jennifer said. She wasn't sure how convincing she was, especially since she had refused to make eye contact with Alice so far. "You lied about Dad."

Alice apparently had nothing to say about that. "I hated him my entire life and it turns out... I probably should have been hating you. And now I'm just another emotionally fucked up teenager thanks to you!"

_"I tried to stop that from happening but... I guess I just wasn't cut out to take care of someone else... Dallas had tried to convince me of that too... said I could barely take care of myself. I guess I should have listened to him. He's not as dumb as most people think."_

"Could've fooled me," Jennifer said flatly. Alice laughed.

_"He could fool a lot of people. But deep down there somewhere, he cares about things. He cares about his friends-"_

"Did he care about you?"

_"In a way... I think we both cared about each other. Mine was just more extreme."_

"You _loved _him."

_"Yes, but I don't think he loved me. I just wasn't willing to give into that, I guess. That's one thing I never really got to teach you. You have to learn to let go of things like that, unlike me."_

"Is that why you came here?"

_"Oh, no. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be here, but, who cares. I have a right to see my daughter, at least, that's what I think. And Dallas used to visit me, even though he wasn't supposed to. They all did..." _Alice said, trailing off and setting the paints aside.

_"As long as you still have that ring, you'll always have someone following you around that isn't supposed to be. You have your own guardian, but, more couldn't hurt. Especially with all of these new abilities you have. Oh, can you do me a favor, before I leave?"_

"Sure," Jennifer said, though her enthusiasm suggested she'd rather be jumping off a bridge. "But you have to tell me something first."

_"Alright..." _Alice said, watching her daughter carefully.

"Why... do I look so much like Dallas?"

_"...You aren't related to him, if that's what you're thinking. Sometimes, after people die, children are born that bear resemblences to people that have died, even though they aren't related in anyway. Kind of like the whole, past lives thing. Your mother was a blonde though..." _Alice said offhandedly. _"...But that is why I adopted you... it was a selfish reason, at first, but I wanted to take care of you because you reminded me of him. I figured you at least deserved the chances he didn't get._

_"That changed, after awhile of course. You started reminding me less of him as you became your own person. So I moved on and began painting pictures instead. I was hoping that once you became your own person, I'd let him go, but... it didn't happen." _

_"Now, my favor that I ask of you is to go up into your Grandmother's attic and find any sort of string instrument that may be hiding up there," _Alice said with a smile.

"What am I gonna do with some violins?"

_"I want you to keep the one in the blue case, but the others you can give away. I don't want them wasting away up there anymore," _she explained, fading away. Jennifer watched, and sat there once her mother had completely disappeared. She sighed and stood up, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Dad! I need your car keys!"

xxxx

"I remember that old thing," Ronnie said as Jennifer passed the blue violin case down to him. "Apparently, she painted it blue herself... she played at school sometimes. But she hadn't played since she graduated from highschool."

"Was she any good?"

"Amazing."

"Why'd she stop then?"

"I have no idea..." Ronnie muttered as Jennifer came down from the attic. "She just left them here and didn't mention them again. She did things like that though. She was a hard person to understand."

"Yeah..." Jennifer muttered, taking the case from him. She inspected it carefully, expecting some other sort of secret note that she had seen so much of over the summer, but there was nothing there. Just a blue case with a violin inside. It was probably the most normal thing she had seen from her mother since she died.

"The case isn't that interesting Jen," Ronnie said suddenly, disrupting her thoughts. She squeaked and nearly dropped the case, sighing when it didn't hit the ground.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you..."

"It's fine," Jennifer said cheerfully, pushing her hair behind her ear and holding the case at her side. "I'm gonna go put this in the car. Can you ask Grandma if she knows what she can do with those other ones?"

"Sure," Ronnie said slowly, watching his daughter with a frown as she walked away. She was getting to be more like her mother every day... he just wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Jennifer tromped down the steps to the sidewalk and walked to Ronnie's car. She dug the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the back door, carefully setting the violin case in the back once she managed to get the door open.

_"Natalie?"_

Jennifer jumped, nearly crushing her fingers in the car door. She turned quickly glaring at the little boy. She looked up and down the sidewalk, noticing that the only ones outside were in their own front lawns a few houses down.

"Leave me alone!" Jennifer hissed. The boy frowned and stared up at her.

_"Where's Natalie?"_

"I don't know! My name's Jennifer, not Natalie. This is the third time I've told you that. Please leave me alone."

_"You should help him out."_

Jennifer put a hand on her forehead. "I don't want you telling me what to do Dallas."

_"Hey, if it gets him to leave you alone-"_

"Alright, fine!" Jennifer snapped. "Both of you get in the damn car."

xxxx

"This would be a lot easier if you knew where you wanted to go," Jennifer said bitterly, gripping the steering wheel. The boy just stared at her from his place in the back seat. "Dally," Jennifer whined looking at the blonde sitting next to her.

_"Jennifer," _Dallas mocked. _"I don't help dead people."_

"Try!"

Dallas sighed and turned to look at the boy. _"What's your name kid?"_

_"David..."_

_"I need your last name too, ya know."_

_"..."_

_"You don't know your last name do you."_

_"No."_

"Oh fuck this!" Jennifer snapped. "Go hang around a graveyard, okay? I don't know any Natalie and I'm not her!"

_"Harsh," _Dallas said, leaning back in his seat. Jennifer watched as David disappeared.

"...I'm a bitch."

_"You sure are."_

xxxx

_'Alright, so... I'm a bitchy person... to little dead kids. What the hell is wrong with me? Oh... I have to study for that test tomorrow..._

_'Eep and I have to ask Dawn for Matt's number. I lost it already. Guess mom was right, I can't keep track of my own stuff... but I always know where everyone elses stuff is... again, What the hell is wrong with me?_

_'...I forgot, I can't ask Dawn until tomorrow at school. Dad grounded me for stealing the car and driving off on my own with some boy. Aka Dallas. Why he decided to drop in, he didn't say. He was grinning as I got in trouble though, the ass hole.'_

_

* * *

My head hurts. _


	12. Chapter 12

_Alright, I finally decided that there'd be thirteen chapters (on a friday too! Ha! I'll be writing chapter thirteen today) so, this one... eh, not too happy with the end of it, but I like everything else okay... once again, the journal entries in this chapter are my favorite. Next chapter is an epilogue. _

_Anyway, I realized last night at two in the morning that since Winston, from Artemis's story "The Unfound" would have been 20-ish around this time it was also, according to her, the time that a certain someone found out about him. So, the end to this chapter might not make sense unless you've read "The Unfound" and her journal entry concerning it. Sorry. But I had to tie them in some way. _

_: (****_

_**Any suggestions for this hideous chapter are appreciated. And accepted... and used. Thank you. :)

* * *

** _

**Blindfolded**

_Twelve_

_'It's like I wasn't even in school. I mean, it's practically over... all of my senior friends are going to be leaving and, while they're all excited, I can tell they really don't want to leave. It's like... school is the only guaranteed thing we have in our lives, and unless they all get into college, they're going to have that taken away from them. _

_'Ah, I don't want to be a senior next year! I'll be the youngest one! I won't be eighteen like everyone else will... what if I can't get a job right away or something?_

_'... What the hell am I saying? That's a stupid thing to worry about. Anyway, I haven't written in my journal for a while... it's been sitting on my desk, gathering dust... like all of my other things. It's weird and it kind of gives me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like, Jennifer just sort of left for awhile, though, I know for a fact I've been here... I mean, sure school's been keeping me busy but, not that much. _

_'I think it means that... I've changed. Kind of drastically. I've been shoved into this world with a father that barely knows me, a family that isn't really mine... and a strange connection to dead people. I think that's what's really been setting me apart. These... abilities that I have. They're alienating me even more than I had been before._

_'Not only do I see those that have passed away, but I see things that have already happened and sometimes, what will happen, if it's strong enough. I suppose anyone else would go run out and try to help all of those people that are wandering around, find some way to warn people of the disasters coming their way; that's for the books and Hollywood. Not for real life. I just want them to leave me alone. _

_'I helped David... turns out, Natalie was in the Forest Preserve... in the pond. Something that definitely scarred me for life, thanks. I mean, I felt better after I had helped the two of them (Dallas helped too. I'm starting to think he's following me around for a reason now. Someone, shoot me now) but, all of these other people are following me around now, wailing about how they're lost or looking for someone. _

_'Dallas is doing his part and warding them off with his generally bad attitude and threats, but some of them just won't go away and once he disappears to who knows where, it's like I'm a freakin' movie star abandoned on the red carpet with her fans. I wish I could punch them in the face, but they're dead. It'll go right through them. Damn it._

_'"Ay, me" to quote freakin' Juliette (who I also wish I could punch in the face, the stupid thirteen year old. Her and all of her fellow cast members... and throw Shakespeare in general in there too... and my English teacher). Turns out, Matt isn't interested in dating, so, behind this moody Jennifer that wishes she could punch dead people and fictional characters... and people that should be dead (that's a hint to you Mr. Kohn), is a sullen little girl slouched over with her head down, groaning and moaning and cursing romance and happy couples. One of the reasons I'm wishing death once again to "Juliette and her Romeo". _

_'Death to you, you... mushy love birds walking down the street! Making me close my blinds. How dare you. That's what my gym teacher says a lot. 'And how dare you-' blah blah blah. _

_'No visits from dear Mom. Kind of glad. I don't think seeing her everyday is going to help. It'd drive me insane. 'Oh, Mom isn't back yet?'_

_'"Dear, what are you talking about?"'_

_'"Oh, you know, I just figured she'd be here by now."'_

_"'... Right. Honey, how about we go visit this cool new place, huh? I hear they have this cool new shirt there, with sleeves long enough to tie behind your back!'"_

_'And I'd be stuck in a padded cell for a bit... talking to Dallas and Mom and... dead people in general. Augh, I'm a fuckin' mess. I'm gonna go get some Portillos and drown my sorrow and insanity in fatty foods and Coke-A-Cola.'_

xxxx

_'Lilly stopped by. With her boyfriend. Damn it! And her finished video project. I loved it. She didn't interview all the typical people you'd think she would. She interviewed me (the adopted girl who lost her mother and is now living with a father she barely knows), Dawn (whose living with her sister, after her parents died), a few people I didn't know, simply because they were 'outcasts' in everyone elses eyes, Grandpa, for some odd reason... Hell, she even managed to drag Sodapop and Ponyboy into the picture (Apparently, Paul agreed to drive her down there). She even got a few people in the streets of Chicago to talk to her. _

_'It was very... Bohemian? Yeah, I guess so, because a lot of it was scenary too, and she managed to get the help of some of the smarter kids and put music over it. But damn it, it was hard to focus with Lillian and her boyfriend being all... kissy kissy and generally to corny for my liking. _

_'I'm worried. Junior year is the year you're supposed to be deciding on what colleges you want to apply to and build your application through out the school year... but I don't know what I want to do when I get out of high school. Damn it, I'm gonna be one of those people that sits on the subway and tries to entertain people to earn money, but everyone hates them, because they really don't like the performance and wish you would just curl up and die. Or at least get off the subway and stand on the sidewalk instead, so they could walk away._

_'And now the phone doth ring.'_

xxxx

"Oh, so you're finally home."

"...Uh... what?"

"It's Tommy."

"Oh hell... you're actually calling me?"

"You're cousin dropped by here about a week ago and let it slip that you were... seeing things."

"...Keep your comments to yourself Tommy."

"No, it ain't that. Soda actually believed her and I started wonderin'... about the night before you left... I forgot about I guess, 'cause it's been so long, but... that's how you knew, right?"

"Ehh... no?"

"...So now your cousin's a liar too?"

"Well, no."

"Than you're a liar."

"Kind of."

"Man... you're definately weirder than I thought..." Tommy muttered. Jennifer could almost see him rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head.

"I'll hang up on you right now if you-"

"Nah, you remember that box of stuff?"

"Yeah?"

"Darry wanted to know if you wanted it, since you kinda left it here."

"...Yeah, sure, unless he really wants it."

"Hold on. Hey, Dar?... Do you really want that box?... He said 'No, you smart ass'."

"Yeah, I'll take it."

"You can drive now, right?"

"...Uh, yeah?"

"Oh, good, then you can come get it yourself. I'll talk to ya later or somethin'."

Before Jennifer could say anything, Tommy hung up. "Lil' bastard..."

xxxx

_'I went back to Good Ol' Tulsa this weekend... by myself... in a car. Augh, and it sucked! I can't enjoy driving with all of these dead people on the road._

_'What was worse, was when I was driving through... somewhere down there, I saw a train hit a car. I mean, I knew it had already happened, 'cause the car was suddenly there, then it was gone. But it scared the crap out of me either way. I never want to be by a railroad again. Of course, I had to drive back over it to get home... and there are plenty of railroad crossings around here too... okay, new topic._

_'Ponyboy wasn't there when I stopped in and neither was Soda, but Darry was pretty nice when I showed up. I think he still feels bad for making me too nervous to call his house. Yeaaah, he better feel guilty..._

_'He asked what I was going to do with the things in the box and I told him I wasn't sure... I know I'll keep the pictures and the drawings... but the letters... I think I'll keep those somewhere... I guess. I doubt the people that wrote them would want them back. They probably have the letters she sent them anyway. _

_'...I think I know what I'll do with the stuffed animals though. Hey, gotta go.'_

xxxx

"Oh, you really-"

"No, trust me. My mom would be thrilled. And she needs it more than I do."

"There should be more kids like you around."

"Ah, but then I wouldn't be as special," Jennifer said with a smile, her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she watched the small five year old talk to the bear she had given her.

"How'd you know she wanted a bear?" the little girl's mother asked with a smile.

"Well, I was sort of walking around asking if anyone wanted a stuffed bear and someone pointed me down here."

"Such a sweet heart. Dear, come here and thank Jennifer, would you?"

The small girl looked up at Jennifer, staring, probably, at her hair, before she smiled and hugged Jennifer's waist. She walked up the stairs to her apartment building a moment later.

"Ah, well, I gotta go," Jennifer said, shifting her almost empty backpack on her shoulder.

"Thanks again."

"Sure thing," Jennifer said with a grin, before turning and walking down the sidewalk to Matt's car. Even if he wasn't looking for a girlfriend, he was still a good friend to have around.

Jennifer sighed as she got into the car, dropping the backpack on the floor as she pulled the door closed.

"One more stop," Matt said, offering a reassuring smile.

"I know... i'm just not excited about this one at all," Jennifer muttered, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears as she dug in the backpack.

"Hey, I didn't expect you to be," he said easily, pulling out onto the street as Jennifer pulled a stuffed rabbit out of her back pack. "Ya know, I can still take you home."

"Don't you even tempt me with that option," Jennifer said flatly, fingering the rabbit's slightly tattered ear. "It took me two hours just to call you to get a ride."

"Which I don't get. You can drive can't you?"

"Yeah, I can drive... doesn't mean I want to."

"Damn, you're a strange girl... what kind of teenager doesn't want to drive?"

"Uhm... one that doesn't want to die in a hunk of metal?"

"...Point taken."

xxxx

"...You gonna let it go?"

"...I'm trying."

Matt sighed and carefully pried Jennifer's fingers from the rabbit. It dropped the inch onto the ground, surrounded by the dying flowers and other little things that were surrounding the rock that blatantly shouted that someone was dead under neath it. And that her name was Alice Lilian Tate.

"You okay?"

Jennifer sighed and looked down at the rabbit. She knew there were others watching, Dallas included, she was just glad that the dead people wandering around were keeping their distance for once.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I should wait in the car, shouldn't I?"

"That'd be great."

Jennifer bit her lip and crossed her arms. She was debating on whether or not she should just... take the rabbit back. Leaving it out here just didn't seem right.

_"I'll take it for you," _Dallas said suddenly. Surprised, she looked over at the usually mean boy, but he was simply staring at the rabbit. _"I'll take it up to her... so it won't get ruined out here." _

"...How're you gonna do that?"

_"Oh, I dunno. I'll bend over, pick it up and bring it up there," _Dallas said as he rolled his eyes, bending down and carefully picking the rabbit up. _"Kind of simple, right? Just hurry up and get home, huh? You don't need to be moping around a cemetary."_

xxxx

"I'm not sad. I'm glad that she's moving on... Heh, do you remember the time when I threw this at you?"

"It was more than once."

"...Heh, you remember all those times I threw this at you?"

"Yeah, an' I don't wanna see that thing flying at me again anytime- Alice!"

"I'm sorry! It's a bad habit!"

"You're a bitch, you an' your daughter... an' Julie too."

"What? Why am _I_ a bitch?"

"You're laughin' with her ain't you? Take your stupid rabbit-"

"Ow!"

"I have a job I'm s'posed to be doing."

The two girls stared at the place that Dallas had once been standing, before looking at each other and raising an eyebrow. "Since when does Dallas actually wanna do his job?" Alice asked.

Julie snorted. "Since when does he stoop that low to avoid a rabbit?"

"...Good point. What a lame-o," Alice muttered, tossing the rabbit in the air and catching it as it came back down.

"He's been acting weird lately, did you notice that?"

"...Yeah, I have... he's more pissed off than usual."

"Wonder why..." Julie muttered.

"Oh Johnny!" Alice called with a smile. If anyone would tell them, Johnny would be it.

"Uh... should I leave now or wait?" Johnny asked, eyeing the two girls nervously as he appeared before them.

"Oh, we just have a question," Julie said with a wave of her hand. "What's up with Dally?"

If it were possible, Johnny seemed to be even more nervous. "He found something out. That's all. It's no big deal."

"What'd he find out?"

"Look, he just... found something out. Leave it alone..." Johnny said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Johnny... tell us. We deserve to know."

"I can't. He made me promise not too. Look, he'll tell ya if he wants," Johnny said, shaking his head and disappearing, leaving two very confused girls behind.

* * *

_Weird place to leave off, but, the epilogue will clear things up. I hope. _


	13. Chapter 13

_Took forever, I know. I actually finished this a long time ago, but with school and little confidence... eh, it took me a while to get this up. This isn't the end of Jennifer's story. She's found in Artemis's story "The Unfound" so, this sort of leads into whats been going on there so far. It helped her figure out what to do with her, so be grateful. Chapter 12 was just a closing of one chapter in Jennifer's life. This is leading to a new one. Alright? Alright. **

* * *

** _

**Blindfolded**

_Epilogue_

'_Well... first journal entry as a twenty year old... first journal entry from college too. How exciting! Kind of. I don't even know what I'm in college for yet... I'm just... in classes I thought would be interesting. Ha. _

'Oh, forgot to mention, first journal entry in my new journal too... Dad stuck to his word, surprisingly enough. Especially since he told me about the complimentary journal when I was... what? Fifteen/Sixteen? I guess he wrote it down somewhere. Either way, it's a really nice journal. All fancy and... not a notebook.

'But hey, my dorm-mate is really nice. So, that's a plus. And heeey, met a new cute boy. Hellooo Micheal. Heehee. Did I just write 'heehee'? What ever, I'm laughing. And oh my, there seems to be more dead people than ever before!

'Seriously though, it's getting ridiculous. And I keep seeing more things too... and suddenly, Dallas has freaky mind-powers... like sending mental messages. I had a whole conversation with him yesterday that way. Can't say it was a nice conversation, but we had one either way.

'Apparently, mom's shocked that I'm in college (gee, thanks mom), but, I think every parent goes into shock once they realize their kids are now on their own. And are probably drinking their little hearts out. Hell, Lilly's mom went into shock when she announced she was getting married. But I think we all did. The weirdo filmed our reactions. She claims it's the funniest video she's ever recorded. Yeah, okay.

'Lessee... what else... oh, Dallas has been acting strange...er. Very secretive that boy is. But I'm so sneaky, I kind of know what he's been up to. Apparently, he's watching over me, and, when he finds time, keeping an eye on someone else too. Who, I have no idea. I just know it's a guy a few years older than me... 'cause that's all I could weasle out of Johnny. Probably shouldn't have been hassling him in the first place, but... I really wanted to know.

'...Oh, the guilt. Kind of. Still, I wonder who it is though.

'Maybe he'll tell me... maybe. Eeeh, I miss Chicago. I want my freezing weather back!'

xxxx

_'Okay, I'm a little reversed I suppose (P.S. Michael is mine. Yes! But, I dunno... there's just something about him... I wouldn't mind breaking up with him and keep him as a friend instead), out of **no where** I decide that, hell, I should go to **Tulsa**. For no reason, really. It's been... oh... a very very long time since I've been down there. And hey, more fun news: 26 years old (as of a few days ago) and I just now picked my major. Just now. Don't know why it took me so damn long and I'm definitely wasting my money and my family's, but... I just wasn't sure what I was going to do, okay? _

'I wanna sit around and... surround my self with crime. And possibly more dead people. Aka Crime Scene Investigation, thank you very much.

'Oh, I'm not in Tulsa yet, by the way. Haven't left. It's dark, I don't like it... Alright, you know what, I wanna leave, 'cause Mike's getting on my nerves... Leaving now. Might be awhile before I write in here again, but, when I do, you'll obviously know. Oh... wait, he walked away. Stealing the time I have.

'Forgot to mention, Dally's still around but he still hasn't told me what the hell he's been up too and apparently, Johnny only gives in once... ya know, I should piss Dallas off and hang out at his grave or something. So, ha ha, right in his face... of course, he could always leave. Scratch that, no graveyards, please and thank you. I can't be in a graveyard without Dallas around and if he leaves, I'll be mauled by dead people. And why the hell would I want that to happen? Hm?

'Alright, that's it, leaving. Write later.'

xxxx

"Are you sure he doesn't know?"

"Have I ever been wrong about that before?"

"...Actually, yeah. Remember his birthday?"

"You swore you'd never bring that up. Besides, I learn from my mistakes. I haven't been drinking around him this time. So, I'm positive he has no idea we're... well-"

"Stalking his part-time charge?"

"...You could say that."

"And you're sure Jennifer knew what she was talking about?"

"She got it out of Johnny, I would think so."

"...We don't know what he looks like."

"I do."

"How?"

"...I kinda... followed Dally the last time he came here."  
"And he didn't notice?"

"Oh, hell no. I have more skill than that, thanks. I mean, I've only ever seen the guy's back, but, I know where he lives and where he works. And I know he's not at either of those places and is, instead, here."

"But we've been hiding behind this tree for like... an hour."

"Yeah, well, that's because your daughter would see us even if no one else could, thanks to Dallas."

"I still don't get why she came down here-"

"Shh, look. That's him."

Alice peeked around the tree, looking to where Julie was pointing after making sure her daughter wasn't anywhere around. "He kinda... looks like Dallas."

"...Nuh-uh."

"Oh, come on! Look at him! He's like his fuckin' carbon copy!"

"...Not really."

"Julie."

"Alice."

"You're in denial."

"Maybe it's his... nephew."

Alice raised an eyebrow and stared at the girl, who looked back with a 'well... it could happen' look. "Cousin?... Long lost twin."

"I think it's-"

"What're you doing?"

Screaming, Alice and Julie toppled over, in a failed attempt to move away from the voice. "Nothing," Julie said meekly, looking up at Dallas, who was glaring down at them. "Just... looking at some... Oklahoma stars... and stuff."

"You're stalking people."

"...When we aren't looking at stars," Alice said with a shrug.  
"You two just couldn't let it go, could you? You've been losin' your minds over this for almost ten years, haven't you?"

"Well, you make it sound a bit extreme when you say it that way," Julie pointed out, earning an exasperated look from the blonde hood standing over them.

"How long've you been trailin' after my son huh?"

"Only a... wait... what?"

"Ha! I was right! Long lost twin my ass, he'd be older than that you idiot," Alice said, hitting Julie's arm as she sat up.

"You're... son? Since when did you have a son?"

"If I hadn't died, it would have been since 1967," Dallas said, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"Hey... you never mentioned a son when you were around," Alice said with a frown. Dallas sighed and looked up at the top of the tree.

"I didn't know about 'im. Didn't find out until later. Happy?"

"...But who's-"

"Look, I gotta job to do an' so do you. So get outta here, huh?"

The two girls glanced at each other, before disappearing completely.

xxxx

_'This is probably going to be the messiest page out my entire journal. I'm just... kinda pissed off. Hell, I'm not even sure if I'm really that pissed off. I think I'm more of a mix between pissed off, sad and frustrated. Not that that's any better. I probably should have kept my mouth shut. I didn't have to be the fuckin' go between... I didn't have to mention anything, I could have had a normal conversation..._

_'But Dallas started telling me all of this stuff and it's like an impulse to pass a message on now. I should have stopped when I had the chance, but... things just kind of got out of control. I mean, he thought I was doing it to be mean... now he just thinks I'm deranged, which... isn't much better._

_'I'm just tired of having people think I'm crazy. I'm pretty sure even Michael thinks I'm crazy... I think he's been messin' around with black haired chick too though, so, hell, maybe he's thinking a lot more than that.  
'But, it's not my fault! I didn't want to make him upset._

_'If Dallas were more patient, I could have put it off until we had at least had a somewhat decent conversation but, oh no, it had to be done right then. Not like my social life matters. Dallas has been nice enough to leave me alone though... I think he took the hint when I started crying and threw a rock at him._

_'So, in the past few minutes, I've accidentally broke a pencil, hurt my hand (it got blood all over my jeans and it's stinging like hell) and... I just ripped a gash in this page with a pen._

_'I don't think I've even mentioned who the hell I'm talking about yet. Winston, Dallas's son. I didn't really make a good impression in the first place I guess, since I fainted on him. But that wasn't my fault. I normally wouldn't have fainted, but with all of the emotion from Dallas and everyone else in the room... I guess I was a bit overwhelmed and... fainted. I've never fainted in my life._

_'Great place for a first time fainting... I'm kind of calming down though. But my hand hurts really bad... I should probably ask someone to take a look at it... eh, I dunno it's probably not that bad._

_'I take that back. I'll go have someone check it out. I'm sure one of those guys will know what to do... I'm pretty sure they've been hurt and bleeding more times than they could count. They better know what do to. I need to get the blood out of my pants too. Damn it, why is my life so fuckin' complicated...?_

_'Love, The Crazy Woman.' _

_

* * *

If you're wondering about her job and college... I always imagined that Jen would have problems staying to committed to something like that and she may just drop out all together and do something else entirely. But I haven't decided that yet._


End file.
